Code Geass: The Prepared Rebellion
by SeerKing
Summary: Imagine if Lelouch had swallowed his pride and actually prepared himself both Mentally AND Physically for his rebellion against Britannia. This is rated M just in case. Follows Canon with minor alterations early on, then diverges. Warning: Lemons and Limes intermitently from Chapter 5.
1. Prologue

Disclaimer: I do not own Code Geass. Ichirō Ōkouchi does.

"Kallen" Speech

'_Lelouch_' Thought

"Die" Geass Command

"**Halt!"** Loudspeaker

Prologue

Year 2010 A.T.B, (1955 A.D.) May 10th, Undisclosed location, Japan

Lelouch Lamperouge, formerly known as His Highness Lelouch vi Britannia, Fourth Prince of The Holy Britannian Empire and Eleventh in line for the throne, sat scowling at his feet.

Off to his left, some Japanese soldiers were cremating the remains of some of their fallen brethren, saluting to respect them and their sacrifice.

'_A single month._' Lelouch thought darkly, '_In only a single month, my former homeland has forced Japan to surrender itself. Incredible. These third-generation Knightmare Frames, the 'Glasgow', must be very powerful to accomplish this._'

Most people would be surprised by such dark and mature thoughts from Lelouch, considering he is only ten years old, but Lelouch is no ordinary child. Raised in the Ares Villa alongside his half-siblings, he was taught the basics of ruling, in case he was the one to make it to the throne, he proved himself to be a veritable genius, surpassed only by his elder brother, Prince Schneizel, in his ability to grasp even the advanced and convoluted theories of politics and of warfare.

In addition, he was far more mature than most children of his age due to the tragedies he has endured. His mother, Marianne vi Britannia, had been brutally murdered by a withering hail of gunfire right in front of him. His younger sister, Nunnally, had been caught in the crossfire.

Although his mothers' last act had been to shield most of her with her body, Nunnally had been shot in the legs, crippling her.

The trauma from the death of her mother had robbed Nunnally of her sight ever since.

Lelouch had demanded a reason from his father, Charles zi Britannia, the Emperor, as to why terrorists, whom it was supposed by all had committed the murder, had been allowed to get into the inner gardens of the Ares Villa, where they then shot through a series of windows to kill his mother as she was walking down a flight of stairs, and had escaped, both unmolested and unfound!

In response, Charles disowned both Lelouch and Nunnally, and sent them to Japan as political hostages. "So you may be of some use, as weak as you both are." as his former father had put it.

And now this. An invasion, which gave the Japanese people carte blanche to kill them. The two children of Marianne had been truly abandoned by both their family and country.

Lelouch's scowl deepened. He had been forced to use his intellect to save his own life, as well as Suzaku Kururugi's life, once already, when the Japanese Colonel, Kyoshiro Todoh, had threatened to kill him and Nunnally.

Lelouch knew that Todoh had spared him only because he had been a temporary student of his during his stay at the Kururugi household, and knew how much Lelouch himself despised his former country. The next assassin would not be as forgiving.

He and Nunnally would have to disappear, and soon. Lelouch already had a plan in the works that assured a successful hiding place for the foreseeable future. Nunnally was resting at the moment, but they would set off for Tokyo in the morning, to enact the first stage of his plan.

Lelouch glanced to the side at Suzaku. His brother-in-all-but-blood was quiet and seemed to be brooding, much as Lelouch was. Suzaku's father, Genbu Kururugi, had been the Prime Minister of Japan, thus why the two royal exiles had been staying with them.

When Japan was invaded, Genbu had committed ritual suicide. That had thrown the countries command structure into disarray and, with only a single victory against the rampaging Britannian forces at Itsukushima, the remaining politicians had folded like a house of cards.

Suzaku had been devastated by his father's death, and only the need to protect Nunnally had helped the boy recover somewhat from the shell-like being he had turned into following his father's death.

"I swear, Suzaku." Lelouch spoke, anger filling his voice as he stood.

Suzaku looked up and stared at his friend warily.

"I swear, someday, somehow, I _will_ destroy Britannia!" Lelouch said, determination etching his face and body.

Next Chapter: Chapter One: The Day the Demon was Born


	2. Chapter 1: The Day the Demon was Born

Authors Note: Wow. 502 views in four days. I'm quite surprised and grateful. I would also like to thank my five reviewers-Other Personalities, Gur4goku, Phantom Dark-Knight, BigBossVince and Rei Rusuragi for their support. Well, that's enough from me. On with the fic!

Disclaimer: If I owned Code Geass, Suzaku would not be an Idealistic Emo.

"Kallen" Speech

'_Lelouch_' Thought/mental communication

"Die" Geass Command

"**Halt!****"** Loudspeaker

Chapter One-The Day the Demon was Born.

Year 2017 A.T.B (1962 A.D.), A room in The Tokyo Britannian Settlement, Area Eleven, Formally Japan

Lelouch Lamperouge moved his knight to it's destination on the chessboard and said, softly, "Checkmate." to his opponent, a Britannian Nobleman who was as arrogant as he was rich. In other words, very, _very_ rich.

Currently, said nobleman was doing an excellent impersonation of a landed fish at his defeat in chess. It was hardly surprising, considering he himself had set a limit of 20 seconds per move to give himself an advantage against the man Lelouch had replaced, an old man who ran a costume business. This rule had in fact had contributed a considerable portion to his own defeat.

Unsurprisingly, it had only taken 8 minutes, 38 seconds to lay the pompous fool low, a personal record of his, according to his friend Rivalz.

After the wreck of a nobleman had paid him the money being wagered on the match (The Pride of an Aristocrat made him pay), Lelouch and Rivalz sauntered out to ride back to campus on Rivalz's bike.

On the giant outdoor screen, there was a report on the terrorist bombing on a lab the previous day, which was followed by an emergency broadcast by the Viceroy of Area-11, Prince Clovis la Britannia, Third Prince of Britannia.

Lelouch's eyes narrowed at the sight of the pompous ass who was his elder half-brother. Clovis was a fool, a coward and an utterly abysmal and lacklustre strategist. Lelouch had had to stop himself yawning as a child in the face of Clovis' boring and uninspired strategies and tactics with a chessboard, so he could hardly be better with troops and Knightmares.

After Clovis' 'charismatic and inspiring speech' was over, Rivalz and Lelouch were on their way towards Ashford Academy. While they were en-route, Lelouch considered the last seven years.

He and Nunnally had - after dodging yet another assassination attempt, this time by a covert Britannian Unit - been taken in by the Ashford group, his mother's old supporters and backers from when she had merely been one of many Knights of Honour, which was exactly according to his calculations.

On the run from both the Britannian Army and the Japanese Army, Lelouch had developed a fairly accurate picture of himself and Suzaku and had compared them at the Ashford's residence.

Suzaku was an average strategist, but was excellent at thinking on his feet and adapting to changing situations. He was also physically fit and possessed very high kinaesthesia, granting him excellent skill in martial arts. Suzaku's Achilles Heel was his overly idealistic, not to mention _naïve_ and _childish_, viewpoint, which restricted what he was able to doin strategy and tactics due to his own morals.

Lelouch himself was an excellent and (no false modesty) almost peerless strategist, being able to see all the possible moves an enemy can possibly make and when they can make them with little to no information. Tactics-wise, he was quite good, but tended to be nonplussed if something doesn't go according to plan. His own Achilles Heel had been his physique, which was underdeveloped, due to doing more sitting than exercise. Although there was nothing wrong with his kinaesthesia, he just couldn't move fast enough, or strongly enough, to make use of it.

Lelouch had seen the possible flaws and weaknesses inherent in his body and mind easily, and had (reluctantly) taken steps to avoid them. He was now moderately fit and healthy, thanks to a mildly rigorous fitness regime. Although he is no body builder, he could hold his own. He had also taken up the Japanese defensive art of _Aikido_, should the circumstances force a hand-to-hand fight. In order to maintain that health, he had taken up the art of fencing. Secretly, he had also taken up Japanese _kenjutsu_, and had maintained a high success rate in matches with both disciplines.

In order to offset his tactical inflexibility, he had taken up numerous games of chance such as poker, blackjack and the like. He also read every book on strategy and tactics that he could get his hands on, from Sun Tzu to the memoirs of the Britannian commander of the invasion of Japan.

Of course, Nunnally had no idea about that, nor did she know about his gambling for cash that he did. Even if she _had_ known that he did gamble, she wouldn't guess _why_.

The reason he conducted high-stakes gambling, other than the pleasure of fleecing unsuspecting, and well deserving, targets, such as the nobleman this afternoon, was to build up funds for his eventual attempt to destroy Britannia.

It would, he reluctantly conceded, take quite some time before he had the perquisite funds for such an attempt. He had been doing gambling for three years now, since he was fourteen, and barely had enough to buy a black-market, outdated Glasgow Knightmare Frame, after money for living expenses, and several 'investments' were deducted.

At Ashford, he played the role of a likeable, social, easygoing person. He was liked so much that there were actually cheers when Milly Ashford, the current Student Council President, strong-armed him into the role of Student Council Vice-President almost as soon as he entered the High School Division.

Almost every girl at Ashford seemed to have a crush on him, so he turned into a veritable Ice Prince when they attempted to get close to him, much to their dismay, although some of them seemed to get excited for some strange reason when he did reject them, squealing in delight at how 'cool and distant' he was.

No-one ever suspected he was wearing a mask - a mask of lies. Lelouch sighed to himself as he considered the web of lies he had constructed to protect himself and Nunnally. The only people who knew the _real_ him were Milly, Sayoko Shinozaki, Nunnally's personal maid and guard, as well as his Aikido and Kenjutsu instructor, and himself.

Being popular was _exhausting_, both physically and mentally. Just about all that got him through each day was seeing his little sister happy, alive and _not_ being used as a tool of diplomacy.

'_Even in my despair, it appears like I cannot give up._' Lelouch mused to himself sardonically.

Lelouch was jarred from his contemplation in the sidecar of Rivalz's bike by the sound of a horn blaring immediately behind them. Lelouch cranked his neck around to see a very non-descript truck right on their tail. The driver, a male Japanese man, looked very irate and stressed. His companion, a female, was trying to calm him down, but he seemed to have had the final straw at being blocked by a pair of school kids on a motorbike.

"Whoa!" Rivalz yelped as the truck drew too close, forcing poor Rivalz to dodge to the right, while the truck went along a route marked off for construction as it led into the Shinjuku Ghetto. It crashed into the entrance of the tunnel as Lelouch watched with wide, shocked eyes.

'_It was partially their fault for being so damn close to us, but Rivalz is equally to blame for going so slow on a freeway._' Lelouch thought as the bike screeched to a halt, Rivalz gasping at the close call he had just avoided.

Lelouch noticed people stopping their cars and gawking at the crashed truck. They were taking photographs with their camera phones and gossiping with each other.

'_The herd gathers to watch, yet do nothing._' Lelouch thought with contempt as he got out of the sidecar and took off his helmet. '_I will __**not**__ be like them!_'

Resolute, he made his way down, ignoring the catcalls from the crowd and the yells of Rivalz that there was only ten minutes until their next class.

He would help these people, damn it, even if they _were_ partly responsible for the crash!

In the Truck's cab

Kallen Kōzuki groaned as she recovered from the crash that her partner, Nagata, had partially caused. The rest of the fault went to those damn Britannian brats in the motorcycle for not reacting fast enough!

"Nagata! Nagata!" Kallen called over to the stunned man.

The man groaned in response before shaking his head and cracking open an eyelid.

"Well, we can't be dead, otherwise I wouldn't have whiplash." he mused aloud.

Kallen rolled her eyes at her companion's lackadaisical comment.

"Nagata! We have to get out of here! Move it! Now!" she hissed at the man, who nodded and reached for the gear lever.

Outside and on top of the Truck

Lelouch was climbing the ladder set on the middle of the truck, seeing as the cab was cut off from casual approach by metal girders. He was becoming concerned by the lack of cries of pain or for help.

"Hello? Are you alright in there?" He called once he reached the open hatch at the top.

Suddenly, his body was tingling. His senses were hyperactive and his heart skipped a beat. What was going on? He could swear he heard a female voice then.

'_It's you! I've finally found my…._' The voice cut off and the strange sensation with it. Just what the hell was going on with this truck?

Lelouch was having second thoughts about helping the truck drivers when the truck jerked backwards in reverse, causing him to fall into the truck, through the open hatch.

He recovered and landed, crouched on one knee. He tried to call out, to let the drivers know there was someone in the back, but the breath was driven from him before he could do so by being slammed into whatever it was that the truck was carrying.

In the distance, Rivalz gaped at the sight of his friend being carried off by a truck. "Soooo….would you call that a hit and run?" he wondered aloud. He couldn't go after them, as stopping that sudden stop had fried the circuits somehow, as well as cutting the fuel line.

He just hoped Lelouch would make it out of this in one piece, because Rivalz had a bad feeling about this.

Inside the truck

"If they put a ladder on the _outside_, you'd think they would apply common sense and put one on the _inside_ as well!" Lelouch muttered to himself as he sought a way out.

He was about to try and climb the spherical object that was the sole cargo in this section of the truck, when a voice from a loudspeaker ordered the truck to pull over. The next thing he knew, the truck was moving in one direction then another rapidly-a very poor evasion. On top of it all, he heard a rapid {PTNK}, {PTNK} sound and a [VOOM], [VOOM] sound outside Lelouch recognised -a VTOL (Vertical Take Off and Landing) Gunship firing it's main machine gun -thankfully, only as a warning shot this time.

Rapid possibilities flashed though his mind until only one remained -this truck had terrorists of some ilk on board, quite probably one of the many anti-Britannian groups that Japan spawned like a nest of rats. The voice on the speakers warned that the next shot would be shot to kill.

Lelouch was paralyzed with worry-until he heard someone walking rapidly towards the compartment he was in from the cab!

Quickly, he took cover behind the odd spherical device just as the door opened.

Through it stepped a red-headed female about Lelouch's age. Her hair was held back with a red and black headband and spiked up at the sides. Her eyes were sapphire blue and burned with determination. She was wearing a blue medical orderlies vest that was swiftly removed that to reveal a vest-shorts combo in brown and red that highlighted a voluptuous, well toned figure. Lelouch had an odd sense of familiarity, as if he had met her before somewhere.

The girl spoke, presumably to the driver, "Can you use the Subway tunnel in the Azu-Bu route?" Her voice was forceful, determined and strangely melodious.

"Kallen! Why don't we just use _it_ here? Why not?" The driver yelled back. Lelouch had ice in his stomach as the probability of the _it_ they were talking about being the device he was hiding behind.

"Because that would cause a bloodbath!" the girl -Kallen- responded in an admonishing tone, as she climbed the steps to the next compartment. The driver grunted and admitted the truth of that statement.

Lelouch, meanwhile was running through all the red-headed girls he knew called Kallen, as that nagging sense of familiarity was insisting he was at least acquainted with her.

He rapidly narrowed it down, since Kallen is not a common name, the same applying to red hair, to a girl in his class who was sickly, thus frequently absent for treatment: Kallen Stadtfelt, the only daughter of the Stadtfelt family.

Lelouch's eyes widened. The Kallen he vaguely remembered from class was quiet, meek and un-athletic, the polar opposite of this Kallen. Either he is wrong or the Kallen at school….is a mask.

Lelouch felt the latter conclusion to be correct, since it was the only explanation that accounted for the vague familiarity he felt when he saw her.

Now he had to hope that whatever it was she was doing at the back of the truck was going to stop the truck being turned into a burning wreck by the military.

With Kallen

Kallen booted up her Knightmare, an obsolete Glasgow painted crimson. She was an excellent pilot, despite not having done any formal training, yet she was well aware that the Glasgow was no match for the Sutherland Frames that had been introduced as Britannia's main-line workhorse, even with an excellent pilot on the side of the Glasgow.

She just had to hope that there were none nearby, or at least she could hold any off while Nagata got away with…_it_.

Kallen shuddered. Not many things made her shiver, but deadly poison gas? That certainly made the short list of things that did, another being the people who _made_ and planned to _use_ the infernal stuff.

She keyed the hatch open slightly via remote and saw three VTOL Gunships in pursuit-and that the lead Gunship was about to fire it's main cannon for another burst!

Kallen, without hesitation, fired off one of her two Slash Harkens at the Gunship. It exploded in flames on impact. Kallen decided that now would be a good time to begin the diversion section of her job.

The Slash Harken had already begun to retract automatically, so Kallen merely burst through the doors and met it halfway, the Landspinners deploying with a flick of a switch, granting her manoeuvrability the VTOL's couldn't hope to match or track.

Kallen fired off her Slash Harkens simultaneously this time, winging one and destroying the other. Kallen grinned viciously at the destruction she had wrought. '_Even although killing these Brit Dogs will never bring you back,_ _it still brings me one step closer to fulfilling you dream of a free Japan, Naoto-Nii-Sama._' Kallen though as her Slash Harken retracted into their launchers.

"**The rest of you back off -I'll take it from here."** came a new voice from loudspeakers. Kallen quickly activated the Factshpere Sensor to get an idea of what was happening-and she paled at the image being displayed on the monitor.

A VTOL. A VTOL carrying a Sutherland. Not good. Unlike her Glasgow, the Sutherland was specifically created to combat other Knightmares as well as conventional tanks and VTOL's. She was screwed without the advantage an ambush would give her. Doubly so, since this Sutherland bore the markings of a member of the Pureblood faction, a radical, racist element of the Britannian Military that despised the 'Numbers', those who are the native residents of the Area's conquered by Britannia.

"**I can only assume you dug that obsolete relic out of some scrap heap."** The Sutherland pilot verbally sneered at her as his Sutherland detached from the VTOL and began to descend. Kallen fired off a single Slash Harken at him. He countered it with one of his own, defecting it with ease.

"**An over the hill Glasgow is no match for a Sutherland!"** the Sutherland pilot continued to verbally sneer at her as he executed a perfect landing and took a battle stance.

"**Not to mention a filthy Eleven who spurns the compassion of out glorious Emperor!"** Kallen wondered if the man thought he was in an action film or something-he was certainly doing a long enough monologue to be a lead actor in one.

The Sutherland fired a burst from it's battle rifle. Kallen avoided most of the shells, but one ripped through the Glasgow's left forearm, destroying it.

Kallen heard Nagata tell her he was going to split up to increase the chances of them surviving. She wanted to protest, but knew he was right.

She tried to fire the left Slash Harken, but it was stuck-and the Sutherland had deployed a tonfa-attachment for close combat and was about to strike her!

"**Second-Hand Junk!"** the man in the Sutherland before her sneered as he brought the tonfa down. Kallen did the only thing she could: She ejected the remains of the left arm right into the path of the tonfa, using the smoke from the resulting explosion to get away.

Kallen knew that she had to get away from the Sutherland and fast-or it was all over for her!

Back in the Truck

'_No signal for my cell phone, dark as night during the day and the roughness of the road surface indicate we are in the old subway tunnels._' Lelouch thought as he sat, one leg over the other, and waited for something he could use.

Shortly after Kallen had used her Glasgow (He recognised the motor sound from seven years ago) he had discovered she had left a radio behind along with her presumptive disguise in her haste.

'_The driver's probably looking for an exit in the Ghetto._' Lelouch continued his calm thought process as he waited. '_On my own, getting out of here will be tricky….I'm not that big on the military, but I could hand this radio over and claim military protection…oh, no I can't -Clovis or one of his flunkeys might come and recognise me. Need another plan…._'

Alone in the dark, the exiled prince tried to plan for all possibilities. Little did he know, his salvation would lie next to him as he did.

Time Skip ½ hour later

"Whoa!" Lelouch said as the truck came to an abrupt and bumpy halt. "An accident, or…?" Lelouch wondered.

Suddenly, the side doors opened. Lelouch ran to one side to try to avoid being seen through the opening, but it was too late.

Despite Lelouch's effort, the masked Britannian soldier quickly over powered him and held him to the ground with a powerful one-handed throat grab.

"Enough mindless murder!" The soldier snarled at him.

"Wha? Wait, I'm…" Lelouch tried to get out before the choking hand clenched briefly, cutting off his air temporarily.

"Planning on using poison gas, eh? Stop trying to lie!" the soldier snarled.

Lelouch considered himself a fairly controlled individual, but he hated being accused of things he hadn't done. He always had.

"Get. Off. Of. Me!" Lelouch snarled back at the soldier and backed up his words with a swift kick to the soldiers midriff, which was dodged, to Lelouch's surprise.

"First off," Lelouch said as the soldier landed from his dodge, "I'm a Britannian, you can tell by my uniform. Secondly, I'm not here by choice." Lelouch strode forward a step, to show his Ashford Academy uniform.

The soldier stiffened at the sight of Lelouch in the light. "No way…" he breathed.

"If this is poison gas, the only people who could make it is Britannia! 'Mindless Murder', you say?" Lelouch said, anger and resentment at his former homeland bubbling to the surface. "Then simply obliterate Britannia!"

Then the figure said something Lelouch never expected.

"Lelouch…" The soldier pulled off his helmet to reveal a familiar face Lelouch had not seen in seven long years.

"It's me, Suzaku." said the boy who had helped him protect his sister from the invasion.

"Y-You became a Britannian Soldier?!" Lelouch said in shock.

"So? You're a-" Suzaku started to say, when Lelouch cut him off.

"No, I'm not! This truck crashed and I went to help it, then it drove off with me in it!" Lelouch tried to explain, only for Suzaku to raise an eyebrow.

"Considering how smart you are, is that really the best excuse you can give?" Suzaku asked. Lelouch felt like gnashing his teeth.

"I can't 'make up a better excuse' because that's what really happened!" Lelouch retorted as he rolled his eyes. "Argh! You really haven't changed a bit! Once you get an idea into your head, you hang onto it more tenaciously than Kaguya-sama used to hang off of me!"

All of a sudden, the 'poison gas canister' began to glow and emit light. Lelouch was suddenly tackled to the ground by Suzaku, who then forced his own gas mask over Lelouch's mouth and nose.

The sphere's four lids then popped open, and instead of poison gas, a girl appeared. Her hair was jade green and waist length, her eyes were the same colour as gold. She was dressed in a Britannian prisoner's strait jacket that left nothing to the imagination as it clung to her slim, lithe body.

She looked at the two stunned young men, before collapsing into an unconscious heap.

"That's not poison gas." Suzaku muttered, confused.

Lelouch nodded before forcing Suzaku's hand away from his mouth. "Something smells like a rat, and I don't mean the sewage pipes." he said, before getting up and moving towards the girl.

"Suzaku, be straight with me here," continued Lelouch as he undid the bindings on the straight jacket, "What the heck does a girl have to do with poison gas?"

"Hey, it's what the briefing said was in the thing." Suzaku protested as he leaned against the truck examining Lelouch and the girl. "Hey Lelouch, have you actually been exercising, or have you found a way to turn brain-power into muscle power like you told Todoh-sensei you would?"

"As a matter of fact, I have been exercising." Lelouch replied. "The last time I got involved with the Britannian military, I had to walk for miles carrying Nunnally on my back-I wanted to cover my weaknesses in case it had to be done again."

Suzaku raised both eyebrows at this. Lelouch had cordially detested regular exercise, deeming it inhuman and Spartan treatment and had called Todoh-sensei several rude and colourful names when forced to do so. For him to actually get motivated to do it….

Suddenly, bright lights flashed on and both Lelouch and Suzaku raised their hands at the glare from the light.

'_I have a bad feeling about this….._' Lelouch thought.

Time Skip-Ten minutes later

In this particular instance, Lelouch wouldn't have minded being wrong.

The men with the spotlights had been low-ranking member's of Clovis' Royal Guard, who had wanted to kill Lelouch for 'discovering the prince's secret'. Suzaku had tried to stop them, only to get shot in the back by the group's leader!

Lelouch and the girl had only gotten away when the terrorist in the truck had self-destructed the cab, covering the area with smoke. Lelouch had grabbed the girl an ran like the wind away from the Royal Guard.

It was irrational, Lelouch knew, to blame the girl. She was a prisoner and both he and Suzaku had stumbled upon her by chance. But he _really_ wanted something to blame right now!

His best and only true friend was dead, murdered in front of him like his mother. Another life lost. '_Another reason to crush Britannia!_' Lelouch though morosely as he led the girl up a set of stairs. He turned to her and indicated for her to stay were she was. Lelouch didn't know if she knew English or even Japanese for that matter, so he let the tone of his voice do the talking rather than the actual words.

"You stay here and be quiet okay? I'll check to see if the coast is clear." he said in a calm reassuring tone.

Time Skip-five minutes later

Lelouch was getting sick and tired of getting caught in traps, trucks and by Royal Guards.

He had been caught as soon as he stood up straight, along with the girl. How embarrassing. The leader was currently running through a monologue about terrorists 'only being able to do so much, even Britannian student terrorists.'

"And now, my clever young friend, you have no future!" the man finally finished his monologue and began to raise his sidearm.

'_Is this it?_' Lelouch wondered as the man's pistol was raised and the trigger was slowly pulled.

At the proverbial last instant, the girl rushed forward and cried out, "NO! He mustn't die!", throwing herself in front of Lelouch.

The bullet struck her square in the forehead.

"Y-You shot her!" Lelouch exclaimed, stepping forward and caught her falling body on reflex and gently laid it on the ground.

"We were supposed to capture the female alive, but, oh well." The man shrugged, unconcerned by the death of his target. He tapped his chin with the muzzle of his pistol for a couple of moments, then an evil smirk crossed his face.

"This is what the report shall say then: We, the Royal Guard, found and exterminated the nest of terrorists," he waved his pistol to indicate the warehouse they currently stood in, filled with the dead bodies of innocent Japanese civilians, including ten year old children, "But _unfortunately_, the female hostage had already been tortured to death. What do you think of my script, schoolboy?" The sneer in the man's words was all to evident.

Lelouch was numb. '_First Suzaku is killed, then this girl. And I'm next. Before I have a chance to do a single thing with my own life. I' m sorry, Nunnally!_'

Suddenly, time slowed down and he seemed disjointed from his own body. His heart was racing, his senses on fire. What on…?

'_You don't want it to end here, do you?_' came a voice he recognised.

'_The girl…? Impossible!_' Lelouch thought in shock.

'_You appear to have a reason to live on. If you possessed power, could you go on? I propose a deal. In exchange for this power, you must make my one wish come true. Be warned-accept this Geass contract and you accept it's conditions: While living in the world of humans, you will live unlike any other. A different providence. A different time. A different life._'

While the voice was talking, Lelouch was bombarded with images of strange things: a pair of planets, images of the girl, a battalion of androgynous people with an odd red mark on their forehead. Lelouch thought the girl sounded as if she knew precisely what she was talking about, as if she had lived the life she was offering him.

'_The Power of the King will condemn you to a life of solitude…are you prepared for this…?_' she asked.

Lelouch saw a final image- his hated parent, the Emperor.

"A convergence with A Ragnarok Connection…? So the myth is beginning once again…?!" he heard his father say.

'_He sounds like he knows what Geass is, meaning he has one!_' Lelouch though furiously.

Aloud he spoke, "Very well! I accept your contract-_and_ it's conditions!"

With a jolt, he was back in his body, and seemingly not a second has passed, as the Royal Guard leader still has that arrogant smirk on his face.

Slowly, Lelouch stood up, one hand over his left eye. The Guard commander felt something…different about the boy, compared to how he was just a second ago.

"Say, as a Britannian who despises his own country, how should I live my life?" Lelouch asked, a hint of laughter in his voice.

"Humph. Are you some kind of radical?" the commander asked, raising his pistol once again-and then stopped. There was an aura of…intimidation coming from the boy, one that was very dangerous and made the man hesitate, which cost him his life.

"What's wrong? Why not shoot? Your opponent is 'Just a schoolboy.'" Lelouch mocked, "Or, perhaps you finally realised-The _only_ ones who should kill are those who are prepared to _be_ killed!"

Lelouch uncovered his eye at last. The colour shifted, changed and formed a red bird-like shape in the centre of his eye. Just looking into it made the commander unable to move, he could scarcely even breath!

"W-What is this…?" He choked out.

"I, Lelouch vi Britannia, command you!" Lelouch declared, "All of you-Die!"

The bird seemed to flap it's wings and then the commander, and the rest of his men fell into parade rest.

"Hehehehe…Happily, Your Highness!" The commander said, and pointed his gun at his jugular vein. The rest of his troop copied him. "Fire!" Ordered the commander and, as one, the Royal Guard of Clovis la Britannia committed Geass-induced suicide.

A small splash of blood hit Lelouch's face and for a moment, he looked appalled at the first lives he has ever taken.

'_My life is nothing but lies. My name, personal data, everything, lies, lies nothing but lies. I despaired in an unchanging world, yet could not, even with my lies, give in to despair. But now I have it…this…incredible power…it's mine…._' Lelouch thought as his horror-struck face shifted into an almost maniacal grin.

"Well then…"

Next Chapter: Chapter 2: Contact is Made. K-1 and Q-1 join Forces.

Authors Note: And that's a wrap. Now, some of you will be wondering about the harem. Three are definitely in: Kallen, C.C. and Kaguya. I still haven't made a decision about Euphemia yet. Should she go with Suzaku or her first love? I'll put a poll up for it. You guys can decide. The poll will come down on the 30th of September, so get voting!


	3. Chapter 2: Contact is Made K-1 and Q-1

Authors Note: {Blinks in surprise} Wow. Two thousand views? Gotta say, I was NOT expecting this story to be so popular. Annoyingly enough, for some reason, my underlining seems to have disappeared from the last chapter- dunno why. It's probably gone from this chapter as well. If so, I'll have to re-think a few things.

Now, I have been asked about the Harem. The confirmed members are: Kallen, C.C., Kaguya, Shirley and Millie. Euphy is undecided. I will **not** be adding Cornelia, Cecile or Rakshata. Sayoko is a possibility. I am surprised no one has asked about Villetta Nu though….

Anyway, enough from me. On with the fic!

Disclaimer: I don't own Code Geass!

"Kallen"-Speech

'_Lelouch_'-Thought/mental communication

"{Die}"-Geass Command

"**Halt!****"**-Loudspeaker

"_Roger._"-Radio/Walkie-Talkie

Chapter 2-Contact is Made. K-1 and Q-1

Derelict Warehouse, Shinjuku Ghetto

Lelouch knelt beside the girl who had granted him his power, Geass. He was slightly irritated, as there was no way for him to fulfil his end of the contract if the girl wasn't alive to tell him what her 'One True Wish' was in the first place!

Ignoring the constant booming in the background, he examined the girl closely and was startled to see the bullet hole in her head was smaller than just a moment ago, which should be impossible.

Lelouch's mind was racing, trying to join dots. '_The Lab bombing, the 'poison gas' cover up, the prisoner's outfit the girl wore, the rapid mobilisation of the Royal Guard, the attack on the Ghetto….Clovis, you are an even bigger fool than I thought._' he raged at his cowardly half-sibling. He could see the chain of events clearly.

Clovis had come across this girl, somehow, and desired whatever ability she possessed, whether it be regeneration or something more, and took her prisoner to find out how it worked. The girl probably refused to tell Clovis what he wanted to know, so he experimented on her to find out.

He had probably classified it top secret and had it mislabelled as something else entirely, creating a dummy secret project, presumably to create poison gas, to conceal it from his father as well.

Somehow the terrorists had found out about the dummy project and believed it existed, so dug deeper and, through luck or skill, had actually discovered the location of the actual project.

Hopefully, rather than using the gas, they had intended to attempt a propaganda coup of some ilk, showing the world what a so-called honourable prince was cooking up. Not bad, as plans went, but they had failed to take Clovis' terror of being found out by the Britannian Homeland into account.

Not even a Prince was fully immune to censure in Britannia, especially if that Prince violates the International ban on the creation of chemical and biological weaponry, one of the few treaties Britannia has not broken. Even if he tell the Emperor it was a cover story, the Emperor would demand full disclosure of the project in question as confirmation, meaning goodbye to any chance of gaining this girl's abilities.

So Clovis, the fool, dispatched the Royal Guard, along with some disposable Honorary Britannian Soldiers, in order to retrieve it. Lelouch was willing to bet that after the sadist of a commander had reported the capsule was open, Clovis had likely ordered the destruction of Shinjuku to cover his mistake-permanently.

Lelouch was disgusted by the lack of respect for life his brother was showing, although the tactician in Lelouch did acknowledged that the plan was simple and effective. By killing all of the inhabitants of Shinjuku, the girl would have nowhere to run, presuming she recovered and revived from her 'death'.

Suddenly, a Purple Sutherland loomed through the doors, it's assault rifle held ready to fire. It's Factsphere Sensor opened and a moment later a voice boomed out from it's external speakers.

"**What happened here, Boy? And why is a Britannian student in a place like this?"** Lelouch was slightly surprised. A female Knight? While not exactly rare, neither were they common.

Lelouch activated his Geass and said, "{I order you to come out. At once.}" All that earned him was an angry demand as to who he thought he was to order a Knight around.

'_Interesting. It requires direct eye contact. This Geass ability seems to be far more intricate and tricky than I first thought. I'll have to be careful how I use it._' Lelouch thought as he raised both hands above his head.

"My name is Alan Spacer, my father is a Duke. My I.D. card is in my breast pocket. Once you have confirmed my identity, I will request your protection." Lelouch said.

'_A mere Knight will jump at the chance to aid a scion of high nobility, on the off chance of promotion to a Hereditary title. That ought to get her out where she's vulnerable._' Lelouch thought. Sure enough, the cockpit on the back opened and a silver haired woman descended on a boarding wire. She was a strong, fierce-looking woman in her mid-twenties by Lelouch's estimation. Her eyes were the colour of agate and her body was well toned and very voluptuous.

"Stay there! I'll take your I.D. out." She called as she walked forward.

Lelouch grinned. "Now, {you will answer my questions.}"

A red halo encircled the woman's eyes. She dropped her handgun and stood straight. "Of course."

"Who are you and what is your unit?"

"Villetta Nu, 8th Mobile Battalion, of the Purebloods."

"What is your mission?"

"The eradication of all Elevens and buildings within the Shinjuku Ghetto."

Lelouch frowned. Exactly as he had feared. He needed protection in this war zone. He focussed on Villetta again and attempted to input another command.

"{Hand your Knightmare over to me.}"

"Understood. The code is XG21G2D4." She then tossed the activation key at him, which he caught.

"My thanks." Lelouch said. '_So I can input multiple commands as long as I maintain eye contact? Logically, that would imply that it can only be used on a person a limited number of times, possibly only once._'He was about to break contact, when he though of a possibility.

'_One of the conditions for use of my Geass is direct eye contact, a tricky one to fulfil. To save having to risk myself in order to Geass numerous people, having a sleeper agent, unaware even to herself of her loyalty to me, would be useful._' he mused and then implanted a third command.

"{Whenever I say, 'By the command of Alan Spacer', you shall acknowledge it my calling me 'Master'. You shall then follow my every command and answer my every enquiry without question and have no memory of the experience afterwards. When I say, 'Lamperouge Flash', you shall return to your normal self. You shall kneel on the ground for ten minutes from now, at which time you shall return to normal, with no memory of having seen or heard me.}"

"Understood, Master." Villetta replied, kneeling on the ground and falling silent.

Lelouch grabbed the strange Geass girl and lifted her in a fireman's carry. It would be stupid to leave her out here if she's regenerating, after all.

Ten minutes later, a very confused Villetta Nu was wondering where the hell her Knightmare was.

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A.S.E.E.C.C Trailer, Britannian Temporary Shinjuku Ghetto Command

Suzaku Kururugi was lost in dreams of the time before the Britannian invasion, of when he spent time with Lelouch and Nunnally at the Kururugi Shrine, laughing and playing together, when a loud explosion force him back to consciousness.

"SO, are we having a bad day?!" came a unusually cheery and loud male voice from above him. Suzaku's eyes snapped open.

He was in a room, coloured in neutral tones of grey and cream. The source of the voice stood leaning over him, with a wide, childlike grin on his face. He wore large glasses and had short grey hair and was dressed in a white, floor length lab coat, with an armband.

Next to him was a woman wearing a orange-tan and black uniform. She had kind, pale blue eyes and shoulder length blue hair. She seemed to be holding something in a handkerchief.

"W-Where….?" Suzaku croaked out, his throat desert dry.

Nonchalantly, the man handed him a flask of water as the woman explained that they were still in the Shinjuku Ghetto, right next to Prince Clovis' G-1 mobile command fortress, so theoretically they were as safe as anyone could be in the ghetto at the moment.

Suzaku slowly drank the water with gratitude.

"You missed a chance to go to heaven, Private Kururugi." The man teased him.

Suzaku then noticed the bandages wrapped around his abdomen, as well as becoming aware of a minor pain where his kidney was located on his right hand side.

"This is what saved your life, Suzaku." the woman leaned forward and showed him what was in her handkerchief.

Suzaku's eyes widened. His father's pocket watch!

"You ARE lucky it was situated under your body armour at JUST the right angle to deflect the bullet." the odd man said lackadaisically.

"I can't believe my father's memento saved me…." Suzaku said, somewhat dazed by the revelation.

"You Elevens believe that gods live in everything, even inanimate objects don't you? Looks like this one was…oh, what is the name? Ah, yes! A so-called 'Shugo Seirei'? (Guardian Spirit)" mused the man, somewhat amused by the concept of sprits.

Suzaku then asked for an update on the situation in the ghetto and was horrified by the reply: a mass-slaughter of the inhabitants, due to the resistance fighters mingling among them (Or so they were told).

'_More lives lost, more senseless slaughter! Lelouch, I hope you make it out of this alive, for Nunnally's sake, as well as your own._' Suzaku thought in horror. '_Why are they resisting? If they just work within the system, no-one need die! I don't understand them…._'

Suzaku was floored by the offer that came next: to pilot an experimental Knightmare Frame in order to bring a quick resolution to the conflict, once they had Prince Clovis' permission.

'_What should I do?_' Suzaku wondered.

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With Kallen

Kallen was angry. Hell, she was absolutely _enraged_. Her people were being slaughtered like cattle, and it was partly her fault!

"Murdering Britannian bastards!" Kallen snarled as she used her Glasgow's one remaining Slash Harken to destroy a Britannian tank that had just gunned down a group of Shinjuku residents.

"_Kallen!_" Ohgi's voice yelled from her radio, "_Can the Glasgow still move?_" He sounded very stressed and panicky, not much of a surprise in this situation.

"Don't worry, Ohgi! I'll run decoy, you get everyone else out! The only ones to be caught will be us resistance fighters!"

"_It's not as easy as that! We're pinned down and they have us completely surrounded!_" Ohgi replied.

'_Please…if any Kami exist….make a miracle for us….I'm begging you…_' Kallen silently pleaded as she moved on to another target.

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With Lelouch

Lelouch was frowning. He had just gotten off of the phone with Shirley Fenette, a member of the Ashford Academy Student Council and the girl who had a 'secret' crush the size of the Britannian Homeland for him.

'_It would seem that Clovis isn't nearly as dense as I had supposed. A media blackout has been imposed, the only thing on the news, according to Shirley, that even mentioned Shinjuku was a traffic restriction, although by not mentioning it, it will be hard to justify this to the public afterwards, presuming he even considers telling the most remote truths about today._' Lelouch thought as he parked his stolen Sutherland between two buildings as cover.

Lelouch noticed a discarded chessboard lying within a house that must have suffered from a stray shot by a Knightmare Bazooka or an Anti-Knightmare SAM launcher, as it was missing most of its roof.

He retrieved the chess board and re-mounted his stolen Sutherland. '_I'm hemmed in here, trapped in Shinjuku like the residents. It would be difficult, closer to impossible, for me to escape by myself._' Lelouch thought as he set up the board, with white to represent the Britannian forces and black representing himself. He completely discarded requesting sanctuary from the military-far too risky.

'_Clovis is trying to keep this as low-key as possible, so calling in reinforcements, whilst simultaneously keeping this under the radar, would be tricky at best._' Lelouch reasoned as he gazed at the lone piece on his own side, the king. '_This means he has to make do with the pieces he currently has on the board. Still, these odds are more than slightly against me. I need chess pieces._'

Lelouch could think of only one source of manpower: the rebels who had dragged him into this mess in the first place. It would be quite appropriate, in his opinion, for them to help him. The main problem is that they currently only possess small arms and a single fourth generation Glasgow, clearly insufficient against a division of Sutherlands.

'_Well, of all tasks, that is the most easily taken care of, considering that idiot Clovis ordered a train of Sutherlands sent in to reinforce his guard, but forgot to order devicer's to accompany them, the moronic fool. More so that he did it over an unencrypted channel, the arrogant popinjay._' Lelouch thought as he began moving his Sutherland to the train depot.

'_Resistance fighters, I'll have you pay me back in full for getting me involved in all this._' Lelouch thought as he approached his destination. He didn't notice a pair of amber eyes regarding him from behind him.

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_Time Skip, ½ an hour later_

With Kallen

Kallen struck down another VTOL with her one remaining Slash Harken, when she heard a familiar voice chuckle from a loudspeaker.

"**Well, well, if it isn't our Glasgow friend."** Kallen paled at the knowledge of where she had heard that voice before and made her damaged Frame speed off. As she did, she saw in the rear camera that the place she had only just occupied had been strewn with bullets from an Assault Rifle.

"**You've led me on a merry chase, but no mere Eleven can escape Jeremiah Gottwald!"** The Sutherland carrying this Jeremiah Gottwald was in pursuit of her, another was on his flank. To make matters worse, her Glasgow's Energy Filler, the only thing powering her Knightmare, was down to a mere thirty minutes of power. Once that gauge hit zero, Kallen Kōzuki was dead.

Suddenly, her radio crackled and a voice spoke. "_The West Entrance! Use the tracks to the West Entrance!_" Kallen's eyes narrowed. She didn't recognise this person's voice.

"Who are you? How did you get this code?!" Kallen snapped at the radio. If this guy thought she was going to just trust a random instruction from an unknown voice, he had another thing coming!

"_It doesn't matter! If you want to survive this and win against these Britannians, you're going to have to trust me!_" came the reply, the voice sounding tense and matter-of-fact.

"To win….?" Kallen breathed out in disbelief. She had hoped to survive this intact, hoped to reduce the casualties her people were suffering, but this voice offered the possibility of winning?

'_If nothing else, it will give me time to strategise at least._' She reflected.

She leapt up onto the old rail bridge and made haste towards the west entrance, the two Sutherlands in close pursuit.

"Ok, what am I supposed to do now?" she asked the voice, getting more nervous as the Pureblood Knightmares drew closer.

"_Since you trusted me, you're going to win. Jump on the approaching train!_" the voice told her.

Startled, Kallen noticed a cargo train rapidly approaching on the same tracks she was running her Knightmare along.

"Right!" She affirmed and leapt atop of the train engine and then leapt to the end of the train, across the roofs of the cargo cars.

She heard Jeremiah Gottwald scoff as his Sutherland held the train back. She turned her Glasgow around in time to see the second Sutherland leap up, clearly intent on following her. She, and the Britannians for that matter, were taken off-guard by a pair of Slash Harken intercepting and destroying the Sutherland in mid-air.

All eyes turned to see another Sutherland in a building next to the tracks. Jeremiah spoke, his voice sounding angry.

"**Friendly fire?! You there, what's your name and your unit?! We're after the one armed Glas-"** Jeremiah was cut off by the Sutherland he was addressing opening fire on him and ripping off his Knightmare's left arm and leg in a hail of bullets.

Not one to not take advantage of a distracted and crippled opponent, Kallen yelled out a wordless battle-cry as she charged the Sutherland. With a curse, the pilot activated the ejection system of the Sutherland and sailed off to safety.

'_I just made a member of the _Purebloods _recognise he would have been in danger and forced him to eject!_' Kallen thought, stunned at the revelation.

"You saved me!" Kallen spoke to the voice on the radio, not caring that relief was obvious in her voice. "But how in the world did you get your hands on a…"

Her voice trailed off as she noticed the mystery Sutherland had disappeared.

'_How the heck did he move away in less than thirty seconds?_' She wondered absently as she tried and failed to find him on her Factsphere Sensor.

"KALLEN!" A shout came from behind her and she turned her Glasgow around to see Kaname Ohgi, the man who took over the resistance cell after the death of her brother, run up to her followed by Kento Sugiyama, Shinichirō Tamaki, Yoshitaka Minami and Naomi Inoue, most of the rest of her brothers' cell.

"What was with that radio message earlier?" Ohgi asked, concerned about their security.

"**He called you too?"** Kallen spoke over the speakers, surprised at the fact.

"Yup. Yoshida's group as well, they ought to be here soon."

Ohgi's Walkie-Talkie then crackled before an voice spoke from it. "_Are you the one in charge?_"

Kallen recognised the voice: it was the same as the one that aided her.

"Umm…Y-Yeah" Ohgi's voce stuttered a bit.

"_Before I go on, I have a question. What were you going to do with that canister of poison gas? Were you going to use it?_" The voice seemed to drip disdain at the thought of someone using the stuff.

"NO!" Ohgi had a disgusted look on his face. "We were gonna show the world what Clovis was doing by hijacking the airwaves and showing them what Britannia is **really** like."

The voice chuckled. "_As I thought. In which case, I offer you the contents of that train. It has the tools for your victory._"

Kallen's sapphire eyes widened in shock when a train full of Sutherlands, at least twenty of them. The voice continued to speak.

"_If you want to use them to win, then follow my orders!_" Kallen was still in shock at seeing so many Sutherlands that were not enemies. '_Just what kind of person gives away Sutherlands like party favours?_' she thought, numbly.

"_Woman in the Glasgow! What is the status of your Energy Filler?_" the Voice asked her, snapping her out of her daze.

"A-About fifteen minutes worth." She replied.

"_Change out your Filler then, and standby. You will be running decoy. I'll contact you in ten minutes with your code names and instructions._"

The radio then fell silent. Kallen wondered what was going to happen next, since today seemed to be **full** of surprises.

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With Lelouch

As Lelouch shut off the radio he had stolen from Kallen, he sighed, feeling the tension seep from his body.

'_This is a lot more tiring than I anticipated, mentally speaking._' Lelouch mused. '_But I must persevere. This game is one upon which I bet my life on._'

"Well now, this is interesting." A voice said from behind him.

Lelouch stiffened slightly, but other wise didn't show any signs of being surprised.

"Oh, good. I was wondering when you would wake up." Lelouch said, "It looks like getting killed takes quite some time for you to revive from."

"You figured out that much in less than forty-five minutes? You truly are impressive, for a boy." The woman said sardonically.

"In less than five minutes actually." Lelouch replied, "Now can I have a name to go along with your fair features?"

The woman giggled slightly. "Is it not polite to give your own name before asking for another's?"

Lelouch sighed. He could tell that this was a delaying move, but he could play along-for now.

"As I'm _certain_ you are aware, my name is Lelouch vi Britannia, formerly the seventh prince and eleventh in line for the throne for Britannia. Now, your name if you please."

"Call me C.C." the woman replied. "Do you like the power I granted you?"

"Geass? Yes, it is very useful." Lelouch replied with an almost maniacal grin. "It will prove very useful in my plans to crush Britannia."

"Do you actually imagine you can accomplish that, with just this power?" the woman-C.C.-asked. He could almost hear the eyebrow being raised as she spoke.

"With just this power, no. I'm neither stupid enough nor arrogant enough to believe that. With a loyal army behind me, however, I will crush Britannia, even if it means my death." Lelouch stated.

"Not before you complete your side of the contract." C.C. countered.

"Ah, yes, I've been wondering about that. Precisely what is your 'One True Wish'?" he asked, although given how evasive she was being, he suspected she would give him the run-around again.

"You do not need to know that. Just focus on remaining alive." was the reply he got. '_Just as I thought._' Lelouch sighed mentally.

"Fine then. I'm going to be devising a plan to use the resistance as a force to defeat the forces of my idiot brother, so keep it down." Lelouch replied, somewhat irritably.

As he worked on the plan, he considered a conversation he had heard on the encrypted Britannian radio half an hour ago, regarding the A.S.E.E.C.C. Special Task Group. They had been calling a 'Margrave Jeremiah' back to make use of the 'experimental Knightmare' he was supposed to use.

Evidently he had refused, as there had been some background swearing from someone within range of a microphone before the signal was cut off.

Lelouch frowned. If there was an experimental Knightmare frame running around, it might cause some hiccups in his plan, so he had better have an insurance policy, just in case they found a pilot.

Two minutes later, he was ready. After telling C.C. to keep quiet, he grabbed the radio.

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With Kallen and the Resistance, 5 Minutes later.

"Hey, are you really sure this is a good idea?" Tamaki called at Ohgi, who had just booted up his Sutherland. "They've all had their IFF Beacons (Identify Friend/Foe) removed! What if this is a trap!"

Ohgi rolled his eyes as he replied to his friend's concern. "Tamaki, Britannia has an overwhelming military edge here. There is no point in using traps or tricks with the superior firepower the Britannian army can bring to bear."

Tamaki grumbled, but shut up (Temporarily).

The radio in Ohgi's Sutherland crackled. "_P-1, are you ready to move?_" the voice enquired. The voice had called five minutes ago and assigned them all code names. Ohgi was P-1, while Tamaki was P-5. Most of the Cell was assigned a letter and number combination of either P, B and N.

The only exception was Kallen, who had the code name Q-1. Ohgi surmised that it was to differentiate her from the rest of them due to her main duty of running decoy.

"_The Sutherland's controls are greatly similar to the Glasgow, so it should be fairly easy to operate._" The voice continued.

Ohgi grabbed his radio and spoke into it. "Can't you tell us who you are? At least your name!" '_Seriously, calling him 'the voice' all the time is getting awkward._'

"_No can do. What if the Britannians are monitoring this frequency? For now, my code name is K-1. Call me that if you wish. Anyway, if Q-1 is on schedule, two enemy Sutherlands will reach the other side of the wall in twenty three seconds. Shoot them through the wall._"

"Is this guy for real? He has to be nuts!" Tamaki scoffs. Ohgi, on the other hand, recognises complete and absolute belief in his own words on the part of the newly christened K-1.

"Everybody, double check your weapons and head to your positions!" Ohgi commands.

Tamaki splutters in indignation at this, but follows the others as they prepare to fight.

"Three….Two….One….Fire!" Ohgi commands. The seven Sutherlands with him open fire, shedding the crumbling concrete wall instantly-and the pair of Sutherlands who were moving to attack Kallen from behind.

All of the resistance fighters gape at where the broken bodies of the Britannian Sutherlands lay.

"Alright everyone! Looks like K-1's word has just been proven to be good!" Ohgi said over the radio, ignoring the grumbling of Tamaki. "Follow K-1's orders! Let's show these Britannians that Japan's spirit is greater than theirs is!"

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Next Chapter: Chapter 3: The Battle of Shinjuku. The White Knight Awakens.

Authors Note: Now, I know what you are thinking: 'What, the only twist here is Geassing Villetta and that's been done before!'.

To be precise, She was completely Geassed in other stories. Here, she has a conditional activation.

Anyhow, read, review and eagerly anticipate my next release in (thinks for a minute) about five days.


	4. Chapter 3: The Battle of Shinjuku

Authors Note: My oh my, over 4000 views. This is really surprising. My thanks, all of you.

I will take this opportunity to answer some reader reviews.

Anonymous Guest: Yes, Lelouch will wield a sword. What kind? Watch this space….. (His Knightmare won't have one though).

Jetsmillion: Lelouch prepared both his mind and body for his rebellion. He is less prideful and arrogant, is well aware of his limits and has trained his already sharp and insightful mind to approach at problems and other situations from multiple angles. As C.C.'s bullet wound was slowly closing up in front of him, a regenerative ability is obvious and why regenerate if the subject is not alive?

As for his Geass, see above. I don't know why he never tried multiple commands in Canon at that stage, but it would make sense to at least try the theory out in a (reasonably) safe pace as he was, and lets face it, Lelouch is very cynical. He would (or should) naturally suspect such a powerful ability would have demerits or limitations to it, thus leading to the possibilities inherent in conditional activations via catchphrases.

Please note, he still does not know how long the Geass will last on Villetta, nor his he aware of reflective surfaces being useful in either redirecting or nullifying his Geass.

Now, this chapter has a major divergence, or at least I would call it major myself, and frames a character in a somewhat better light than canon at this juncture. Now, let the fic begin!

Disclaimer: Code Geass isn't mine.

"Kallen"-Speech

'_Lelouch_'-Thought/mental communication

"{Die}"-Geass Command

"**Halt!****"**-Loudspeaker

"_Roger._"-Radio/Walkie-Talkie

Chapter 3-The Battle of Shinjuku. The White Knight Awakens.

Prince Clovis la Britannia's G-1 Mobile Fortress, Shinjuku Ghetto

Clovis la Britannia, Third Prince of the Holy Britannian Empire, Viceroy of Area Eleven and (in his own opinion) best dressed of the entire Imperial Family, was slightly surprised.

Sir Orion and Sir Valarie, two moderately experienced Knightmare Pilots (Knights), had just been caught by an ambush, necessitating them to eject.

In a military operation, this would not be any kind of surprise, combat being unpredictable. But this was _not_ combat, this was 'urban renewal' (read: a massacre), so there shouldn't _be_ any casualties.

'_Tch. Must have been a lucky break for the terrorist scum._' Clovis thought, dismissing the ambush from his mind and made a note to punish Orion and Valerie when they were picked up.

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With Lelouch

"An IFF can be a double-edged sword, can it not, oh brother mine?" Lelouch mused aloud as he watched the screen where the locations and ID's of all of Clovis' forces were displayed.

He had set up the chessboard and pieces to correspond to the number of forces available to both Clovis and himself. Clovis had the advantage in numbers, but was a very poor tactician and strategist, whereas Lelouch was at a disadvantage in numbers, but was the superior strategist.

Behind him, the woman calling herself C.C. watched him silently, analyzing him and his actions.

Lelouch activated his radio again, "P-1, P-4, P-7, move 100 meters to the right and fire your Slash Harkens at three o'clock." he called to the terrorists.

"Can you win this battle, boy?" C.C. asked, acerbically.

Lelouch resisted the impulse to reply in an equally rude way, instead replying politely, "As long as the terrorists follow my orders, the task at had will be completed. This battle would be meaningless, other than stopping a pointless slaughter, if Clovis were not here."

C.C. raised an eyebrow. "Is he your target then?"

"Indeed." Lelouch replied, "He will be both my first step on my path to defeating my father AND the first step on my investigation."

"Investigation? About what?" C.C. asked disinterestedly.

"My mother's murder." Lelouch replied shortly and got back to commanding his troops, harrying someone codenamed P-5 to get ready.

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In Shinjuku, a lithe man in a green outfit, wearing reflective shades and headphones, was stumbling along, cursing his luck at getting caught in Shinjuku during a massacre. His name was Mao.

He had entered Area Eleven a week ago, suffering the constant chatter of the minds of the disgusting smugglers he had hired to sneak him in. He had scoured the city looking for his beloved C.C. and had yet to find her!

Mao _knew_ she had been in Japan just before the Britannian invasion, several people in the Chinese Federation had seen her purchase the tickets, he had seen their memories, so why had he not been able to find her?

He had been on the verge of giving up and returning to the isolated area of China where he had resided since C.C. had left, when a passing military man had been thinking of her.

Mao had covertly followed the man. Turns out he was a general called Bartley and he had been doing unspeakable things to his C.C.! The nerve of the man!

Mao was overjoyed to find out that some terrorists had managed to 'steal' C.C. from the Britannians. All Mao had to do was waltz into Shinjuku, where the truck had last been seen, kill the terrorists, grab C.C. and get out again. Easy, right?

Wrong.

Barely five minutes after he entered the Ghetto, it turned into a war zone! Mao was having a harder time finding the terrorists, because none of the residents seemed to know who they were or where they were. All the stupid _herd_ was thinking about was their own worthless lives, pathetic!

Mao stiffened as he felt the ground shake and reached out with his mind reading Geass. There! One Sutherland Pilot, a Britannian, as typically arrogant and self important as you can get, is advancing to meet up with another squad. He was about ten meters away.

'_Tch. Better stay hidden. Damn Britannians! Damn Elevens!_' Mao snarled in his head as he ducked behind a building. He would come to regret that action.

Ten seconds later, P-1, P-4 and P-7 hit the Britannian Sutherland with six Slash Harkens, sending it crashing into the building Mao was hiding behind. His scream was abruptly cut off as he was crushed to death beneath concrete and metal.

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The G-1 Command Base

"Sir Henry, Lost! He reported before he ejected that the terrorist have more Knightmares, our own Sutherlands!" one of the Staff Officers reported, wide eyed.

"The enemy is advancing towards G-2-8!" Another reported.

General Bartley was sweating bullets. Three Knightmares down in less than five minutes? Prince Clovis was going to have his head!

"Send Glaube's squad!" he ordered hoarsely.

Prince Clovis, sitting on his throne, was stunned. "They have our military weaponry? How?" He whispered in disbelief.

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With Kallen

"Q-1, your target is on top of the building in front of you. Eliminate him." K-1 ordered over the radio.

"Right." Kallen responded. She hated purely running decoy and had been about to complain to K-1 about it when he had told her he had a target for her to take down.

'_Was this just a coincidence, or did he read me?_' Kallen mused idly as she fired a Slash Harken upwards, to get her on top of the building.

Kallen had honestly been taken by surprise at the skill this K-1 was showing. The small resistance cell that her Nii-Sama had founded, and had passed to Ohgi after his death by that bastard Clovis, was running rings around a highly trained Britannian Knightmare Battalion, not to mention the tanks and VTOL units in support.

Kallen's Glasgow landed on the roof of the building and charged at the Britannian Sutherland facing away from her. It turned around, the Factshpere Sensor open and active.

A hard punch from her Glasgow's remaining arm shatters it and destroys the rest of the head. The Automatic Ejection System in the Sutherland activated and sent the pilot to safety.

Kallen grins and moves to her next point, as ordered by K-1.

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G-1 Command Base

"Sir Glaube, Lost!" The same Staff Officer reports.

"Change our codes, they must be intercepting our transmissions!" Bartley barks at his officers.

"But we have sir, five times already!" Protests one of them.

"Well do it again!" Bartley shoots back. Mentally, Bartley is very much dumbfounded. How were the terrorists moving like an elite unit of pilots and making his own forces look like rank amateurs? It made no sense!

"This failure is totally unacceptable!" Clovis declares, rising from his throne.

"M-My apologies, your highness!" Bartley stammers out, nervously. He knew that those who displeased members of the Imperial Family rarely survived the experience with their careers -or their lives- intact.

Suddenly, a vid-call window opens up on the main battlefield monitor screen, displaying the face of Earl Lloyd Asplund, of the A.S.E.E.C.C. Special Task Group.

"Good Afternoon, Gentlemen!" the Earl greets the room in a loud, obnoxiously cheerful voice.

"What is it? We are in the MIDDLE of an OPERATION!" Bartley snarls at the man. Were it not for the fact that First Prince Schneizel had given the idiot Earl permission to act outside the chain of command, Bartley would never have let the fancifully-named Camelot _near_ Shinjuku.

As it was, he had zero authority over them. Only members of the Royal House, such as Prince Clovis, could give them orders, and as he was commander here, they required his permission to enter the fray.

"I'd say it's time to deploy the A.S.E.E.C.C. Special Weapon!" The Earl said, brightly. '_As I suspected._' Bartley thought sourly.

"We have no time for this!" Clovis barked as he advanced towards the command table. "I will now take personal command of the forces stationed here!"

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With Lelouch

Lelouch watched as blip after blip disappeared from the screen, each indicating a lost unit, the last being a tank.

"R-2, fire anchor." He commanded, advancing a castle.

{Beep} Unit Lost. Bye-Bye, VTOL.

"B-7, use UN Ordnance." A Bishop was moved.

{Beep} Unit Lost. Farewell, tank.

"N-Group, continue your advance." A Knight was advanced forward.

{Beep} Four Units lost. Rest easy, Sutherlands.

Lelouch settled back and watched the IFF screen carefully.

"Now then, the enemy has five options. Their move." He muttered aloud.

"Which do you think will happen?" C.C. asked.

"If my idiot elder brother panics, and takes personal command, probably an en-mass attack. If not, a tightening of the encirclement and a slow, steady advance." Lelouch replied with a shrug. "I have plans to deal with anything either Clovis or his pet General can throw at me."

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G-1 Command Base

"Sir, we just lost Sir Lazlo's Squad!" came one of the latest of the many casualty reports.

"Grrr. No choice. Bring up Quincy's Squad!" Clovis ordered.

"But, Your Highness, that will break the encirclement!" Bartley cautioned his prince carefully.

"Reinforce the line with some of the units guarding me. A battle is not won by those who are faint of heart." Clovis dismissed Bartley's concerns firmly.

Clovis pointed at the display on the Command Table. "All we know for certain is that enemy forces are somewhere here. Surround their position and crush them!"

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With Lelouch

Lelouch was idly twirling the Black King piece between his fingers as he waited for the enemy to move. He raised both eyebrows when he discerned the meaning of the movements he was seeing.

"My, it seems Clovis has taken command after all-that is the stupidest move he could have made, out of all of his choices." Lelouch remarked as he grabbed the radio.

"Q-1, do you have an area map?" he asked his main decoy. Lelouch was very impressed with Miss Kallen Stadtfelt. She listened to orders, was an excellent Knightmare pilot and possessed a highly moral character. She also had a bit of a temper and was impatient, which is why he had assigned her to take down that lone Knightmare, to relieve her of some stress.

'_She reminds me of Mother quite a bit._' Lelouch mused. '_Although, Mother wasn't nearly as easy to read as Miss Stadtfelt is._'

"_Yes, I have a map of the old city, but it has no current landmarks._" came her reply, the frustration very obvious in her voice.

Lelouch smirked. Good. "That will do, now here's the plan….."

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With Jeremiah Gottwald

Bruised from his ejection, Jeremiah was taking a slow and cautious approach to returning to the G-1 Command Fortress. The last thing he wanted was to be ambushed by some Eleven terrorists.

Jeremiah sighed. Not for the first time, he questioned the path that had led him to joining the Purist Faction.

After the assassination of Empress Marianne vi Britannia, a woman who, despite being of common birth was the most gifted Knightmare Pilot in the Empire, on par with Lord Bismarck Waldstein, The Knight of One, The Strongest Knight in the Empire, Jeremiah, a guard in the Imperial Palace at Pendragon, had been in disgrace.

While he had, essentially, been persona non grata with the imperial court after Lady Marianne's death, he had still heard of the court appearance of her eldest child, Lelouch, and the subsequent action taken by the Emperor, not least of which was exiling them to Japan as Political Hostages.

If Jeremiah had had any kind of pull left in the Court, he would have applied to join the Prince and Princess in exile. To Jeremiah's mind, if whoever had assassinated Lady Marianne had the resources and political clout to slay one of the 108 Imperial Consorts, in the _Imperial Palace_, in _broad daylight_ no less and make an escape, there was no question that they could at least attempt to wipe out the vi Britannia line in a backward country like Japan.

Sadly, he had no clout and had been force to compromise his own morals by joining the so-called 'Pureblood' Faction, just to save his career. Their ideals were ridiculous. Lady Marianne hadn't been a noble, yet she had regularly trounced nobles in her Knightmare, the Ganymede, often three on one.

Their stance on the Numbers was, in Jeremiah's opinion, somewhat flawed as well. Yes, Britannia had conquered them, but that was due to Britannia's superior technology, not some divine right handed down from god!

He had also taken issue, in private and only to himself, with the Emperor's policy to do with the way Vassal States were treated. Stripping them of their governments, yes, their flags, yes, but their Name? Their very identity? THAT was too far. Lady Marianne herself had said that showing mercy was a sign of strength, so why try to crush them so completely as to make them virtual animals?

After the invasion and conquest of Japan and it's subsequent re-classification as Area Eleven, Jeremiah had transferred his unit there, hoping to find the last remnants of Lady Marianne. After three fruitless months of searching, the officials, by order of the Emperor, labelled both former Eleventh Prince Lelouch and former Fourth Princess Nunnally as dead.

Jeremiah had refused to believe it. He had seen the obvious intelligence of Prince Lelouch, as evidenced in his mastery of chess. He had always dominated everyone he played, aside from First Prince Schneizel, who was also extremely intelligent. If anyone could plan to survive a war and the subsequent 'peacekeeping activities', it was him.

As the years past, he had continued the search, albeit clandestinely. Just before this whole terrorist incident, he had been about to search the files on Britannian citizens in the Britannian Tokyo Settlement. He had previously ignored Tokyo, as His Highness Clovis would have recognised any noble who resembled his old chess rival.

Jeremiah had been horrified when he had read the briefing on this current operation. Terrorists with poison gas! The area it would effect was massive and the gas was very much in the fatal category. A nagging voice at the back of his head had questioned exactly where the terrorists had gotten their hands on it and exactly why only the Purists were mobilised to deal with it.

The pilot of the red Glasgow had been very skilled, shown by the fact that detonating an arm to cover a retreat was a very tricky manoeuvre and required a fair amount of skill to perform. Still, no Glasgow could go toe to toe with a Sutherland and come out on top without the advantage of surprise, so when he had found the Glasgow later on in the day, he had expected a chase and a kill.

What he had gotten instead was his ass handed to him. He didn't know how a terrorist could get his hands on a Sutherland -painted in the colours of the Purebloods, no less- but the entire left side of his Sutherland had been crippled very quickly, followed on by that Glasgow charging at him, ready to kill him.

All in all, Jeremiah was definitely thinking about upgrading to a Gloucester sometime soon, preferably before an enterprising Eleven shoots him. '_What a day this has been._' Jeremiah thought as he continued his march forward.

In the distance he saw a column of Knightmare Frames and Tanks advancing towards an unknown destination. Jeremiah peered at the units and recognised them. They were some of the units assigned to encircle and blockade Shinjuku.

"What idiot ordered them to break the encirclement?" Jeremiah wondered aloud.

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G-1 Command Fortress

Clovis sneezed suddenly.

"Are you catching a cold, Your Highness?" Bartley asked.

"No, I must be allergic to close proximity with these filthy Elevens." Clovis replied, before blowing his nose on a handkerchief.

"Moving on," Clovis said, after disposing of his hanky, "Send in Burtz and the others as well. The target is that central dot: Finish them!"

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With Lelouch

"Are all of you ready?" Lelouch radioed his troops.

A chorus of affirmatives came back at him.

'_Alright. Time for the second act to end and the third to begin._' Lelouch thought as he picked up the Queen piece.

"Begin Mission Number Three….now!" He commanded via the radio.

Mission number three was a very simple plan. All Knightmares enter the old subway tunnels with Q-1 at the rear. After a set amount of time, Q-1 was to turn about face and fire her Slash Harkens into the ceiling's support beam. That would cause it to collapse and cause the surface above it to collapse as well. In turn, the shifting of the under maintained road collapsing would start a chain reaction, reaching out in a wide radius, swallowing and crushing any and all Knightmares and tanks caught by it.

He had made the plan, along with several others, once the enemies responses had been reduced to the last five, but he hadn't expected to actually need to _use_ it, as no tactician worth the name would use an en-masse attack method these days. The last time that happened was during the time of actual Knights on horseback, for crying out loud.

'_Then again, Clovis did like his history. Along with painting, History was his favourite subject. Shame he never took to heart the saying 'those who do not learn from the mistakes made in the past are doomed to repeat them.'_' Lelouch thought with a shrug.

"With this, I call Check." he remarked aloud.

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G-1 Command Fortress

{Beep} Target not found.

Clovis stared at the display in stupefied confusion. All of the forces he had massed had charged in….to see each other and no enemy.

What the _hell_?

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With Kallen

As the small column of Knightmares advanced, Kallen, last in line, watched a countdown timer reach zero.

'_Its time._' She thought.

Turning her Glasgow around, Kallen launched her Slash Harkens at the roof's support beam as K-1 had ordered, before quickly retracting them and beating a hasty retreat.

With a mighty crash, the roof collapsed, sending shockwaves across the entire area of the tunnel.

Above the tunnel, the confused Knights had stopped where they were, awaiting orders. Suddenly, the ground opened up beneath them, swallowing them and their Knightmares and crushing them in the jaws of the earth.

The collapse spread, swallowing Knightmares, Tanks and infantry whole, never to be seen alive again. Even buildings were brought down, smashing atop the remains of the weapons of war, creating a tomb of rubble for them.

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With Lelouch

Lelouch was grinning like a fool. He had done it. Clovis had just lost over 80% of his combat capable forces to a simple trap.

'_I can do it! I can crush Britannia!_' Lelouch thought, allowing himself a moment to celebrate, then got back in the game.

"Right, now that he's lost most of his conventional forces, Clovis will undoubtedly commit the 'prototype Knightmare', whatever it is, and hope for a miracle." Lelouch postulated aloud.

"So then, 'General', what's the plan?" C.C. asked, humour laced into her voice.

"Watch and learn, immortal, watch and learn." Lelouch told her as he reached for the radio once again.

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G-1 Command Fortress

Clovis watched in horror as almost all of the units under his command were destroyed in a wave of destruction.

'_J-Just…Just who am I dealing with here….?_' Clovis thought, panic etching his features, '_My God….What if he's better than Todoh..?!_'

While the Eleven populace revered Todoh as the Miracle Bringer, the Britannian forces called him The Phantom of Itsukushima's Miracle and reviled him for defeating a numerically superior force, without any Knightmares of his own.

The idea of facing Todoh in battle _terrified_ Clovis; the idea of facing someone who was better than Todoh in battle made him want to faint. Suddenly, inspiration struck the panicking Prince.

"Lloyd!" Clovis shouted and Lloyd's image reappeared on the main monitor.

"Yes, Your Highness?" the scientist nobleman asked cheerfully.

"Can your toy win?" Clovis asked.

"Oh, please, your Highness-call it Lancelot."

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A.S.E.E.C.C. Knightmare Storage and Transport Trailer

"**Z-01, Lancelot, Launching. Please clear the area!"** Cecily Croomey's voice echoed over the speakers.

As Cecily's voice blared out over the speakers, Suzaku Kururugi was getting suited up in a 'Devicer's Uniform' as Lloyd called it. The uniform was white, black and gold, padded in order to better protect against the Lancelot's rapid movement and the jarring that commonly accompanied it.

He had read the manual (most of it anyway) for the Lancelot and was more than slightly impressed. The Lancelot outclassed Sixth Generation Gloucesters, by about as much as a Sutherland outclassed a regular battle tank-totally.

The Blaze Luminous Shielding System was the main defensive array on the Knightmares arms and could be activated to shield the Lancelot from bullets, grenades, Chaos Mines, even close combat weapons like Stun Tonfas and Lances.

The Lancelot also featured an improved version of the standard Yggdrasil Drive, the Core Luminous, as well as a hefty amount of Sakuradite seeded throughout the Lancelot's frame, increasing its overall strength, agility and power.

There were only two issues Suzaku had with the Lancelot, as it currently was. The first issue was the lack of ranged weaponry, aside from the Slash Harkens, meaning Suzaku would have to get up close and personal with any enemy Knightmares in order to defeat them, upping the chance of an ambush.

The Second, far more pressing, issue was the lack of any sort of ejection system. Quite _how_ Earl Asplund neglected to design one into the Lancelot was astonishing to Suzaku, considering how Knightmares were originally a pilot ejection system in and of themselves.

Suzaku knew of the development history of the Knightmares, up to the Third Generation Ganymede, fairly well thanks to Lelouch. He would often reminisce about all of his mothers duel's, especially the time she had defeated the Knight of One, Lord Bismark Waldstein.

Hopefully, Prince Schneizel will grant a bit of extra funding to build a basic safety device like an Emergency Cockpit Ejection System, and relatively soon.

"_Have you read the manual?_" Cecile Croomey's voice came over the headset he wore over his right ear.

"Pretty much." Suzaku replied. All he had skipped was the part he was certain the Earl had added, entitled, "_Devicer Conduct and Proper Veneration Etiquette of the Lancelot_". He was pretty sure that was superfluous to requirements, so had ignored it.

Suzaku made his way out of the changing room and stood in front of the Lancelot. It was _magnificent_. The Lancelot's white and gold paintwork made it shine like a beacon, even in the Ghetto.

'_With this, I can end this slaughter. I can do it!_' Suzaku thought as Ms. Croomey talked in his ear about being careful in the field.

Suzaku mounted the Lancelot's cockpit and sealed the hatch behind him. After running preliminary start-up procedures, Suzaku activated his radio.

"Ms. Cecile? All systems check out all green on this end." Suzaku reported.

"_Roger. All systems green on this end as well._" Cecile replied. "_Releasing safety locks 1-16. Suzaku, you are cleared for launch. Godspeed._"

Suzaku inserted the activation key as he acknowledged Cecile. "Roger. Suzaku Kururugi, Z-01 Lancelot: Launching!"

The Lancelot exploded forward in a flurry of motion, Landspinners whirling, speeding towards the sounds of conflict.

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Next Chapter: Shinjuku Checkmate, The Victor…?

Authors Note: Mao's cruel and twisted manipulation of Shirley during R1 made me so angry. When I started this story, I decided to treat him in the manner such a person deserves: as a minor, unimportant footnote, easily ignored.

If you are wondering, Mao focused his Geass on a single person, thus reducing his range dramatically, making him unable to 'hear' P-Group moving to attack Sir Henry. A naïve mistake that fit with his character.

Now, thanks to several requests, the harem currently stands at: Kallen C.C., Kaguya, Shirley, Milly, Villetta and Sayoko. Euphy is still being polled.

The only reason she is being polled is due to the whole incest issue. Personally, considering I read somewhere that such relationships were not exactly unknown in both the Britannian Imperial family AND the Real-Life British monarchy, it doesn't bug me much at all, but YOU are the readers. What you want, you get, so long as it meshes with my story.

On that note, there will be nothing in here from Akito, Oz, Nightmare of Nunnally or Suzaku of the Counter-Attack. This is because I am less familiar with them and thus less confident about writing about them.

This is me signing off. I am still recovering from the flu, so the next chapter will be released on the 1st of October to allow me some time to recover.


	5. Chapter 4: Shinjuku Checkmate

Authors Note: Now that I have (finally) gotten rid of that thrice accursed 'Flu, I had better upload this chapter now, shouldn't I?

In celebration of me recovering from my small illness, my muse went into overdrive, resulting in an extra long chapter!

Now, the Poll has closed, and Euphy is officially in the Harem. Many thanks to all that voted. If you didn't vote, please keep in mind that it was your decision not to, not mine.

Now, I've been asked by Wolfblood123 about how long this story will go on for. All I can answer is that the story ends at the end of the Black Rebellion, timeline-wise.

That is not to say that Lelouch will succeed in the timeline of the first season. There will be a sequel. The title for it, I have decided, will be 'Code Geass R2: The Rebellion Reforged'.

Not bad, eh? I'll be giving Code Geass a rest and write a different fan fic after I finish this one though-so many Ideas!

Anyhow, enough from me, read on and enjoy the fic!

**Disclaimer: Me? Owning Code Geass? Nope, Sorry. Flattering, but incorrect.**

"Kallen"-Speech

'_Lelouch_'-Thought/mental communication

"{Die}"-Geass Command

"**Halt!****"**-Loudspeaker

"_Roger._"-Radio/Walkie-Talkie

**Chapter 4: Shinjuku Checkmate. The Victor….?**

**With Lelouch**

"_K-1, this is B-6! I've spotted an unknown Knightmare. It's proceeding along the old main street, seemingly towards where Q-1 was last spotted by Britannian forces!_" came over the radio as Lelouch was waiting for Clovis' final gambit to be played.

"B-6, good work," Lelouch replied into the radio, "Description of Target?" B-6 was one of the scouts on foot Lelouch had deployed on the most likely routes to keep watch for the mysterious 'Prototype Knightmare', as it was unlikely an experimental Knightmare would have an IFF for Lelouch to conveniently track.

"_K-1, it doesn't resemble any Knightmare in the Britannian forces. It's about the same height as a Sutherland, painted white and gold. I can't see any rifle or bazooka….that can't be right. Who in their right mind sends a Knightmare into combat without weapons?_" B-6 sounded incredulous. "_Anyway, the body-shape is more streamlined than either a Glasgow or a Sutherland. Definitely looks like this is a new model._"

"Indeed it does." Lelouch muttered to himself before speaking into the radio again, ordering all scouts to fall back to their primary mission area, then called on P-1.

"P-1, evacuation status?"

Kaname Ohgi's voice came back over the radio, sounding tired. "_Almost all civilians have been evacuated along the old Subway tunnels to other Ghettos. There are a few who are refusing to leave, however._"

"Unfortunately, we'll have to leave them. Clovis has deployed his last card, and it's advancing towards the centre of Shinjuku as we speak." Lelouch told him, regret colouring his voice. He had ordered P-Group to aid the rest of the group in evacuating as many non-combatants as possible and they had exceeded his expectations.

'_Some people are just too stubborn to leave, even in the face of clear and present danger._' Lelouch bemoaned to himself. He hated the idea of sacralising innocents to achieve his plans, but in this case, he might have no choice.

"_Damn!_" Ohgi cursed.

"N-Group, are you ready?" Lelouch asked. N-group were to ambush the Knightmare from concealed positions. The fact that the mystery Knightmare seemingly had no long-distance weaponry was merely an added bonus.

"_K-1, we are almost ready. Two more minutes, tops._" came the reply from N-Group's commander.

"You had better be, because in five minutes the new model will be in your sights." Lelouch told them grimly. "It appears to be unarmed, but all Knightmares have -at least- a pair of Slash Harken as basic equipment, so be careful. There's no telling what a Seventh Generation Frame is capable of, so inform me of any enhancements you discover and pull out when you feel it's gotten too dangerous. K-1, Out."

Lelouch sighed as he gently massaged his temples. He had run through the major possibilities of what a prototype Knightmare could possibly be equipped with, albeit with no data to base anything off of, and was daunted by the sheer number of options.

With the bare bones the appearance of the Knightmare gave him, he swiftly eliminated about 60% of the possibilities. This left four possibilities: Command, Defence, Physical Enhancement and Close Combat.

Command Enhancements were fairly unlikely, as even a buffoon like Clovis wouldn't sent a Command Knightmare out on it's own as this one seemed to be.

B-6 would have mentioned any blades or lances equipped to the Knightmare, so most close combat enhancements were out.

Lelouch paused in his thinking. '_B-6 did have a point. Sending a Knightmare out alone, completely unarmed is not usually even considered, let alone implemented! The only way it would work is if it had a combination of the last two possibilities: Defence and Physical Enhancement._'

Lelouch massaged his eyes and, with a heavy sigh, once more reached for the radio.

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**C.C.'s Perspective**

The woman named C.C. watched the boy called Lelouch vi Britannia with narrowed eyes as he began issuing orders to the Japanese terrorists under his command.

'_Marianne's child,_' she mused to herself, '_He is _very_ interesting. Highly intelligent, yet keenly aware of his limits. Confident, without being arrogant. And….,_' she gave Lelouch a subtle once over, '_a strong, yet lithe, physique._'

C.C. licked her lips. Oh yes, Lelouch was a very interesting Contractor -for more than one reason. The immortal woman had been shocked when she had felt Mao pass on to C's World, no more than a mile away.

Mao had been one of her greatest errors and her new Contractor had dealt with him, although inadvertently, in less than ten minutes. That little fact, combined with the boy's obvious commanding aura, the purely physical attraction she felt for him and the fact she was a 700-year old virgin made him very attractive as a bed mate to C.C.

Once they made it out of this Ghetto, they would definitely have to have….a _discussion_.

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**With Suzaku**

"This is the Lancelot," Suzaku radioed to the Camelot trailer, "I'm just about to pass the old Joen-ji Temple and head towards the Kogakuin University Building. Over."

"_Roger, Lancelot._" Cecile replied, "_Any sign of enemy activity?_"

"Nothing." Suzaku replied. "Just a few pot-shots from isolated terrorists. I'd guess that the majority of the residents have been evacuated by the terrorists while their main forces engaged ours, judging by the total lack of movement on the Factspheres."

"_I see._" Cecile replied, "_Still, keep alert. The enemy has the home-field advantage here._"

"Roger." Suzaku replied as he piloted the Lancelot around the corner and towards the Kogakuin Building.

Suzaku sighed as he thought about the report he had been shown on casualties during this battle. Losses currently stood at 79% of all Sutherlands destroyed, 55% of all tanks destroyed and 40% of al VTOL's destroyed.

'_How the hell did terrorists do this?_' Suzaku wondered, '_Not even the defeat at Itsukushima had these kind of losses, and that was at the hands of Todoh-sensei!_'

Suzaku was so lost in thought that he barely managed to dodge the first salvo from the concealed Knightmares.

"WHOA!" he yelled, making the Lancelot leap to the side in a graceful arc, avoiding the bullets. Suzaku activated the Blaze Luminous Shield mounted on the Lancelot's right arm and held it up to block the next volley from his concealed assailants.

"The Shinjuku Centre Building!" he snarled.

The Lancelot sped up to it's top speed, even as it continually dodged, blocked and deflected volley's of bullets from his unseen foes.

Suddenly, Suzaku spotted several falling objects dropping his way and magnified his view of them on his view screen.

Suzaku gaped at the computer's auto-identification of the objects: Chaos Mines. Each able to hurtle literally hundreds of needle-shaped pieces of metal at a target, they could _shred_ any Knightmare into scrap metal almost instantly.

He immediately halted the Lancelot and activated the Blaze Luminous on both arms, enlarged the shield's size to maximum, then braced for impact.

The Lancelot shook as the green energy field absorbed the combined assault of _five_ Chaos Mines, simultaneously. Gritting his teeth, Suzaku cranked up the strength of the shields from the standard 50% mark to 80%, the highest recommended output.

After what seemed like an eternity, the barrage withered, stuttered and faded to nothing. Suzaku deactivated the Blaze Luminous with a sigh of relief.

'_That,_' he decided, '_was entirely too close for comfort._'

"_Lancelot, come in!_" Cecile's worried voice sounded over the radio, "_Suzaku-kun, do you read me?_"

"I'm here, ms. Cecile." Suzaku responded, somewhat tiredly.

"_What happened? Our instruments detected an abnormally large drain on the Core Luminous that lasted about a minute._"

"I got ambushed by terrorist Knightmares. They attacked from the top of the Shinjuku Centre Building, so I was moving to take them out when they lobbed five Chaos Mines at me. I had to crank the power to 80% to withstand the barrage." Suzaku reported.

"_My word!_" Cecile exclaimed, "_The shield could easily withstand a couple of Chaos Mines at the standard setting, but five? Looks like Lloyd and I are going to have to improve the Blaze Luminous somewhat if this is the kind of punishment actual combat entails. What's your energy status?_"

"I'm still at 60%, so I'm good for another couple of hours." Suzaku said, after checking his Energy Filler Gauge.

"_Alright, Suzaku-kun, but please be careful. Whoever is in charge of these terrorists is no-one to take lightly._" she responded.

"Got it." Suzaku affirmed, before speeding off towards his original destination.

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**With Lelouch**

Lelouch gave a small smile when N-Group's commander reported the abilities of the enemy Knightmare AND that N-Group had fallen back without taking casualties. Just as he had suspected, a Defence/Physical Enhancement-type Knightmare.

What both intrigued him the most and irritated him the most was the shielding system. Any conventional ambush, as had just been demonstrated, would fail against such a powerful defence.

'_Well then, an unconventional ambush it is._' Lelouch thought.

"Well done, N-Group. Fall back to the extraction point at point G-1." Lelouch told the terrorists. "Your job is done for now. P-Group, Q-1, B-Group and myself can handle things here."

"_Roger K-1. Good hunting_." came the reply.

Lelouch turned his head to look at his passenger with one eye.

"Considering what I suspect Clovis put you through, do you want to be there when I interrogate him?" Lelouch asked.

C.C. blinked owlishly at him for a second before an almost manic grin crossed her features.

"Oh, do I _ever_! That brat will regret all the things he ordered done to me!" she seethed in a silent fury.

"We won't torture him," Lelouch told her, sternly, "I simply refuse to lower myself to his level. You can be the one to kill him, but information can be extracted far easier with this."

Lelouch indicated his left eye, where his Geass had manifested.

C.C. pouted for a minute, then nodded.

"Very well, boy. We shall do things your way." This simple sentence came out like blood from a stone from the green-haired woman.

They were interrupted by the radio squawking loudly.

"_K-1, this is Q-1. All preparations have been completed._" Kallen's voice sounded short and impatient.

Lelouch turned back and grabbed the radio.

"Very well. All units, prepare to initiate Mission Number Eleven on my mark. Q-1, begin Mission Number Ten."

"_Roger!_" came back over the radio.

Lelouch grabbed the Sutherland's controls and began manoeuvring. He fired a Slash Harken into the ceiling before jumping out of the hole in the building he was in.

'_Well now, lets see our mysterious White Knight deal with this plan._' Lelouch thought smugly, as his Knightmare abseiled down the outside of the husk of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building, otherwise known as Tochō-Tokyo City Hall.

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**With Suzaku**

Suzaku caught sight of a red and white blur pass in front of him as he came up on the old Chuo-dori road and moved to follow it.

H moved in pursuit of the blur and finally identified it as an old Glasgow, presumably the one that had been running around before the ambush, since it was painted dark crimson.

What caught his eye though, was the oh-so familiar flag the Knightmare carried in it's only remaining arm: the _Nisshōki _-The Sun-Mark Flag, the _Hinomaru_ -The Circle of the Sun. The once proud flag of the nation of Japan.

'_Why can't they understand?! Japan lost!_' Suzaku thought morosely as he sped his Knightmare up in order to catch up to the Glasgow.

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**Meanwhile, with Kallen…**

In the screen displaying her rear camera view, Kallen watched the white Knightmare steadily gain ground on her tail.

'_C'mon, Ohgi, any time now would be good…._' Kallen thought as she tried to nurse some measure of extra speed out of her outdated frame.

Suddenly, the white frame behind her dodged a volley of rifle fire and a bazooka round.

"Ohgi! Were you waiting for an invitation or something!?" Kallen railed at her elder brother's oldest friend.

"_Sorry, Kallen. K-1 said to wait until just before he was within Slash Harken range._" Ohgi's voice was sincerely apologetic.

"Fine!" Kallen huffed, "But at least give me some advanced warning next time! Jeez."

"_Q-1, Proceed to Mission Area for Mission Eleven._" K-1's voice came over her radio, as cool and collected as ever.

"Do I _have_ to lose my Glasgow?" Kallen snarked at K-1, "It took me ages to engineer it and repair it to my specs!"

For all her ire and vitriol, she still headed towards her destination: The Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building.

"_Yes, you do._" K-1 seemed to be unperturbed by Kallen's temper, "_If all goes according to plan, I may even replace it. For now, concentrate of evading that Knightmare!_"

"Roger." Kallen replied, still ticked off that she would lose her customised Glasgow, but somewhat mollified that K-1 had said it would be replaced if they made it out of there. A thought struck her as she coaxed more speed out of her Glasgow.

"By the way, where'd you get this flag?" she asked K-1.

"_A storage room inside Tochō. They always kept spares in there, just in case._" K-1 replied, giving Kallen something to think about.

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**With Suzaku**

Suzaku cursed as the rate of fire from those thrice-be-damned concealed terrorist Knightmares increased yet again.

'_This Glasgow in front of me must have their leader as it's pilot! Why else go through so much trouble to defend a decoy?_' Suzaku reasoned as he swerved, dodged and ducked a seemingly unending deluge of bullets and shells from atop buildings on both sides of the road.

Suddenly, the Glasgow swerved abruptly to the left and shot off like a bullet. At the same time the constant barrage of weaponry that assailed him stopped.

Wasting no time, Suzaku sent the Lancelot speeding ahead and found himself at the foot of the old city hall, Tochō. Standing at the foot of the building was the red Glasgow and an additional Knightmare, a Sutherland in the colours of the Purist or Pureblood Faction.

[KABOOM!], [KABOOM!], [KABOOM!], [KABOOM!], [KABOOM!], [KABOOM!], [KABOOM!], [KABOOM!].

Eight almost simultaneous blasts went off, collapsing buildings into the street and obstructing the most accessible ways out.

Suzaku was dumbstruck. '_Damn it all! It was a trap from the very beginning!_'

The one-armed Glasgow passed the flag to the Sutherland, sped forward a few meters and then gave the Lancelot a 'Bring it on' gesture.

Suzaku considered himself an even tempered man on most occasions, but this was the absolute limit!

"**First you make me chase you, then you barricade me here, now you insult me by challenging the Lancelot in a clearly inferior Knightmare?!" **Suzaku, enraged by the low handed tactics of his foes (as he saw them), shouted over the Lancelot's external speakers, **"You WILL regret that!"**

The Glasgow merely repeated it's 'come on' gesture.

"Rrrrgghh!" Suzaku growled as he threw the Lancelot into a headlong charge towards the Glasgow. Just before the Lancelot's fist impacted on the red Knightmare, the pilot ejected!

"Wha…?" Suzaku gaped as, unable to stop the Lancelot's forward momentum, the White Knightmare's fist smashed through the abandoned Glasgow.

"Damn it!" Suzaku gritted out through his clenched teeth.

On his main camera, the Pureblood Sutherland gave him an ironic salute, then embedded the flagpole it was holding into the ground and sped off.

"Hold it!" Suzaku roared, his temper completely on fire by this time. He wrenched the Lancelot's arm out of the wreck that had been the Glasgow and tore off in pursuit.

[KABOOM!]

The Lancelot shuddered as yet another bomb was set off, this time beneath the ground the Lancelot was speeding across!

Suzaku gaped as the across the entire plaza buckled, cracked and collapsed, rapidly approaching the speeding Lancelot.

Thinking quickly, Suzaku swerved the Lancelot towards the Tochō building and fired both Slash Harkens at the ledge above the entrance of the building, then leapt up and reeled them in, drawing the Lancelot away from the crumbling ground -and the fleeing Sutherland.

Landing on the ledge, Suzaku sighed in relief, but it seemed fate was not done throwing spanners in his works today, as he heard the oh-so familiar sound of chain explosions coming from above him.

'_Sweet Kami, NOW what?!_' Suzaku groaned to himself as he made the Lancelot look up. He went white with what he saw.

The two towers of the Tochō building were falling. Ripped from the main building by the explosions, they were falling. Not only were they falling, the explosives must have been placed in key positions throughout the towers' superstructure, both inside and out, in order to make them fall in the desired direction.

Precisely where Suzaku and the Lancelot stood.

"Even this was a trap…?!" Suzaku spoke in disbelief, "How could anyone predict such an unlikely place to be where the Lancelot would flee to after escaping the collapsing ground?! It's ridiculous!"

Suzaku spun the Lancelot around, to search for a way out of this mess.

'_Most of the ground nearby has been destroyed by those bombs, there are no other buildings to leap to within range of the Slash Harkens…..wait, there!_'

Suzaku saw that the explosions had accidentally opened the old Tochomae subway station tunnel.

Without hesitation, Suzaku made the Lancelot leap down and into the tunnel, just as the pair of falling towers smashed into the ground outside.

Suzaku gave thanks to all the _Kami_ for their protection, something he hadn't done since he was a young child, then focused.

"Now I have to navigate through a maze of dark, crumbling tunnels that may or may not be swarming with terrorists and-" Suzaku checked his Energy Filler Gauge, "-I have barely forty-five minutes worth of power left, thanks to those sneak-attacking terrorists. Oh, the joy."

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**With Kallen, Time Skip Twenty Minutes**

Kallen was running through the ruins of Shinjuku towards the extraction point, located in an abandoned warehouse near the old Tokyo General Hospital.

Her mind was racing as she thought back to the conversation she had had with K-1 after she had ejected.

_{Flashback}_

_Kallen's cockpit had just landed with a bump and she spent a moment mourning for her poor Glasgow. It hadn't been much, but it had been _hers_._

"Q-1, are you unharmed?_" K-1 had enquired over the radio._

"_Aside from a blow to my pride, I'm fine." She had replied, rather dryly._

"Good,_" He had replied, "_It's not much consolation, I know, but the trap worked._"_

"_Good." Kallen had spat out. Just thinking of the speed that white Knightmare possessed gave her chills. She had barely managed to eject in time._

"Knowing that fool Clovis, he's likely to order infantry in to slaughter any remaining civilians in Shinjuku._" K-1 had told her bluntly._

"_WHAT?!" Kallen had yelled in fury, "No, he can't! Order Ohgi and the rest to stop them!"_

"P-1 and the rest have already handed their Knightmares over to B-group and have reached the extraction point, and B-Group have left via the tunnels to your backup hideout._" K-1 had stated in a matter-of-fact manner, "_Don't worry, though. All tasks at hand have been cleared for the end of violence today. Head for the extraction point._"_

"_That's it?" Kallen had been incredulous. "You seriously expect me to just accept your word that 'something' is in the works?!"_

"You trusted me to direct you in combat._" K-1 had pointed out._

"_That's different!" She had protested vehemently._

"Because it was only your life I was risking, correct?_" K-1 asked rhetorically. Kallen had fallen silent at this, slightly taken aback at being read so easily by a complete stranger._

"I can assure you, I will succeed. I will not allow innocents to suffer at the hands of a power-mad fool._" K-1's voice had been as hard as bedrock, so much so that Kallen wondered who and what had managed to make this guy hate Britannia and massacres so much._

"_Alright, I guess I'll leave it up to you then, not that I have any choice anyway." Kallen had finally conceded defeat, albeit somewhat reluctantly._

"My thanks. Now, get to the extraction point, Q-1._" K-1 ordered, before he apparently turned his radio off._

_{Flashback End}_

Kallen hoped that K-1 kept his promise. She was responsible for too many Japanese deaths as it was.

She finally saw the warehouse on her right and slipped inside, finding the rest of her Cell, sans those assigned to N-Group and B-Group.

"Kallen!" Ohgi shouted, rushing over and hugging her. She hugged him back. Knowing that a close friend was safe was one thing, seeing and touching them was quite another.

"Are you alright?" Ohgi asked her after he released her.

Kallen rolled her eyes. '_Ohgi is so like Naoto-nii in some things that it's scary._'

"I'm fine," she told him, "I had to sacrifice my Glasgow to take down that damn white and gold bastard though."

Tamaki shot her a look of disdain.

"Hah! If _I _had been the Glasgow's pilot-" He began to say, when Kallen interrupted him.

"It would have been destroyed long ago. I can trounce anyone here in a one-on-one situation and you know it Tamaki."

Tamaki spluttered and gobbled like a strangled turkey, then shut up with a childish pout (Once again, Temporarily).

Suddenly, the door burst open and a squad of Britannian soldiers burst in, machine-guns at the ready.

The leader sneered at the group and raised his pistol to aim it at Ohgi.

"Well, well, what do we have here?" The man feigned surprise at seeing the group of Japanese civilians, "A little nest of _rats_, I see. As _any_ good homeowner knows, rats should be exterminated at the first opportunity!"

As one, the soldiers raised their weapons at the group in front of them.

Kallen, at the rear of the group, tensed. She knew that she stood no chance, unarmed as she was, against a squad of soldiers, but she was damned if she would go out without a fight!

'_Naoto-nii-sama…!_' Kallen thought of her brother as she prepared to do something, anything, to resist the soldier before her.

Just as the squad leader opened his mouth, an announcement over the loudspeakers made him gape.

"**Attention all forces! Cease fire at once! I, Clovis, Third Prince of Britannia and Royal Viceroy of Area Eleven, hereby command you! All forces are to cease fire at once! All destruction of property shall also cease! The wounded, whether they be Eleven or Britannian, are to be treated with equal care and all casualties shall be treated without prejudice. In the name of Clovis la Britannia, you are to cease fire at once! I shall allow no further fighting!"**

The Squad leader was flopping his jaw like a landed fish and looked incredulous at this turn of events. When his corporal nervously asked what they should do, the man snapped out of his daze.

"You heard his highness! I don't know about any of you, but I am _not _disobeying Prince Clovis' order. The last person who did that is on indefinite Latrine duty in Hokkaido and he was a general!" The man told his troops with a scowl.

As one, the squad about-faced themselves and left the warehouse.

Tamaki broke the silence by voicing what everyone was thinking.

"OK, what the _hell_?"

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**With Clovis**

In his dark and empty command centre, Clovis la Britannia finished his announcement and turned on his throne to the shadowy figure leaning against the wall with a pistol aimed at Clovis.

"Are you satisfied?" Clovis enquired archly, skilfully masking his own fear at having a weapon trained on him with all the acting skill he possessed.

"Indeed. You did very well." The figure told him condescendingly.

Clovis' right eye twitched at being treated like a simpleton by this man, although he quickly regained control and spoke again.

"So what shall we do now? Sing a few lively ballads? Or have a game of chess perhaps?" He made no effort to disguise the sarcasm in his voice.

To Clovis' surprise, the man chuckled.

"Chess, is it?" Humour coloured the shadow-clocked man's voice, "That brings back some memories." At Clovis' small frown, the man continued, as he reached up and, only using his free hand, removed his helmet.

"Don't you recall? As boys, we played chess all the time at the Aries Villa. I always won, of course."

Clovis sat up straight on his throne. "Who _are_ you?!" The Third Prince whispered in fear.

"It's been a long time….Big Brother." The figure said as he walked forward to reveal Lelouch in a Britannian soldier's uniform.

Clovis' jaw dropped in shock.

"L-Lelouch?! Is-Is that really you?" Clovis gasped out, eyes bulging in disbelief.

"Indeed, it is I, my brother." Lelouch replied, mockingly giving a Britannian salute.

"Eldest son to the late consort Marianne vi Britannia and 17th in line to the Imperial Throne, Lelouch vi Britannia at your service." Lelouch spoke in a mockingly formal voice, his eyes boring into Clovis like a sniper's ranging scope.

"I have returned, Clovis, and I will change _everything_." This was spoken almost too soft to be heard, but in the tomb-like command centre, it was heard by Clovis as loud as a gunshot.

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**Lelouch's Perspective**

Lelouch gazed at his half-sibling in contempt. The man was only a short distance away from soiling his trousers and Lelouch hadn't even done anything overtly threatening yet.

"Now, brother, could you explain the meaning of all of this?" Lelouch asked, gesturing to indicate Shinjuku with his free hand, the pistol barrel still aimed at Clovis.

"L-Lelouch…" Clovis gulped loudly, "T-Terrorists stole a v-very dangerous canister, f-filled with poison gas. If Father found out about it, he would d-d-disinherit me!"

Lelouch struck a thinking pose, although the pistol's barrel still never wavered from it's target.

"This capsule, would it happen to be about a meter square, shaped like a flower bulb and coloured grey and white?"

Clovis' face went pasty white.

"Y-You've _seen_ it?!" the Third Prince demanded.

"And opened it." Lelouch replied, eliciting a strangled gasp from his half-brother, "Come on in C.C." He called into the hall.

The immortal regally strode in and glared silently at her former captor, hatred and contempt oozing from her every pore.

"Y-You!….How?….Why?…._How_?!" Clovis stammered, his own regal façade utterly crushed beyond all repair.

"Your brother was kind enough to free me." C.C replied, her voice quiet and as cold as a glacier, "In exchange I granted him the seed of what you sought."

Clovis switched his eyes to Lelouch, who merely smirked at his elder sibling. Clovis was, for once, struck speechless.

Lelouch then narrowed his eyes at Clovis and his smirk vanished. "Now then, brother, let us talk of seven and a half years ago. Let us talk of my mothers _murder_."

Clovis recoiled. "Wh-What?!" he cried in shock. Lelouch ignored this interruption and went on.

"Even although she held the rank of Knight of Honour and was one of the 108 Imperial Consorts, my mother was common-born and, thus, held in contempt by the nobility and -especially- the other Consorts." Lelouch stated with a calm he didn't feel. All the grief, rage and helplessness from seven years ago bubbled to the surface of his mind and his face twisted in anger.

"That's why one of them had my mother killed, ISNT IT!" Lelouch shouted at his now cowering brother.

"I-I didn't d-do anything! I d-don't know a-anything!" Clovis plead with Lelouch, sobbing in terror at the rage on Lelouch's face.

"No-one can hide the truth from me anymore! Now, {Answer my questions! Who killed my mother?!}" Lelouch demanded, activating his Geass and glaring at Clovis' eyes.

Almost instantly, Clovis ceased his sobbing, straightened in his chair and replied, "Schneizel, the Second Prince and Cornelia, the Second Princess. They know." His voice was a monotone, dull and lifeless.

Lelouch's eyes widened fractionally as he asked, "They are behind this?"

Clovis said nothing and merely looked at Lelouch.

"It would seem he cannot tell you what he does not know." C.C. remarked.

Lelouch scowled and continued his questioning. "Do you know that they know, or do you merely suspect?"

"I know."

"How and why?"

"Cornelia has been investigating Lady Marianne's death ever since Father exiled you, as she loved and respected her dearly. Father ordered Schneizel to take her body somewhere, I do not know why" Clovis answered.

"Fine." Lelouch sighed and changed his line of enquiry, "Do you feel any remorse whatsoever about the people you have murdered today?"

"No."

Lelouch bared his teeth in a snarl as he ground out, "Why not?"

"I am a Prince. Concern of those beneath me is unbecoming of a person of my rank." Clovis stated.

"Fool." was all C.C. said, with a shake of her head.

"What about the…experiments you had performed on this woman here?" Lelouch demanded, violently gesturing at C.C., who looked taken aback, "Do you feel any remorse for that?"

"No."

"For the same reason?"

"Yes."

"Any _other_ reasons?"

"I could become the next emperor with the ability to distribute immortality to those who support me."

C.C. looked like an enraged cat at that.

"Can we _please_ kill him now?" she snarled at Lelouch.

"Not yet. This is a priceless opportunity for information." He replied. Lelouch then addressed Clovis once again.

"Is there a backdoor to the security firewalls at the Area 11 Government Building?" Lelouch asked as he drew a handheld tape recorder he had picked up en-route to the command centre.

"Yes."

"What is required to access it remotely?" Lelouch turned on the tape recorder as he spoke.

Clovis then reeled of instructions on how to gain access to the backdoor. Once Clovis finished, Lelouch re-pocketed the recorder.

"Now, as to the experiments you conducted on C.C. here, who has access to the data?"

"Myself and General Bartley."

"Can you access it remotly from here?"

"No."

"Why?"

"The data is kept in a portable server that can be moved at a moment's notice. When the immortal was stolen, I ordered the project moved to their backup base." Clovis replied, "They should still be en-route now."

Lelouch scowled at this wrinkle. "Where is their backup base?"

"Only General Bartley knows that."

"Why do you not know the backup location of your most secret project!?" Lelouch asked in exasperation.

"I wouldn't need to know unless it got moved, so I saw no point in knowing unless it actually happens."

Lelouch's jaw dropped at his brother's absolute stupidity.

'_I guess that old saying, about how the strongest swordsman need fear the worst swordsman as he doesn't know what the idiot will do applies here._' Lelouch thought as he gazed at Clovis.

"Alright then, do you have a copy of the current number, equipment and deployment of troops in Ja -Area Eleven." Lelouch corrected himself mid-word. Clovis wouldn't recognise Japan as existing anymore.

"Yes."

"Where is it?"

"On the G-1's computers." Clovis replied, gesturing at the computer consoles behind Lelouch and C.C.

Lelouch took a deep breath and let it out. He then spoke to C.C.

"Anything you need to ask?"

"No." Her voice was filled with barely suppressed rage. "Can I kill him _now_?"

"Once I release and arraign him." Lelouch replied. He looked at Clovis one final time and then disengaged his Geass.

Clovis, after a moment, started sobbing in terror again, protesting his innocence to having a hand in Lelouch's mother's murder.

"I believe you." Lelouch told Clovis and lowered his gun.

Clovis stopped sobbing and looked at Lelouch.

"R-Really?" he asked, voice filled with hope.

"Yes." Lelouch replied, then raised the gun again and said, "But still, you are guilty of mass murder, conspiracy to commitgenocide and crimes against humanity." Lelouch gazed stonily at the re-awakened terror in his brother's eyes.

"For these crimes, I hereby sentence you to death, to be carried out immediately."

At these words, Clovis started begging.

"Lelouch! Please, don't! We may not share the same mother, but we are still blood!"

Lelouch paused as if to consider his brother's words. "True." Lelouch admitted, reluctantly. "I have no desire to kill my siblings like Father encourages."

Clovis sagged back into his throne, boneless with relief.

Lelouch then passed the pistol to C.C.

"The wronged party is the one who deserves to do justice." Lelouch spoke softly. C.C. nodded back in gratitude.

"No! Please, no!" Clovis begged.

"Clovis, don't you know?" Lelouch spoke softly, "The world will not change for the better without being willing to get your hands dirty."

C.C. pulled the trigger.

A solitary pistol shot rang out, ending the life of Clovis la Britannia, a coward, egomaniac and heartless murderer.

Lelouch stared at the cooling body of his brother. Although an inept fool and a cowardly murderer, Clovis had still been a member of his family and it still hurt to see him dead, deserving or not.

A cool hand touched his cheek and he looked down into C.C.'s soft agate orbs.

"You may not feel like it now, but you did the right thing." She murmured quietly, "He had committed too many crimes to too many people to escape justice. If not by my hand or yours, someone would have ended him, and with far less mercy than you showed him."

Lelouch closed his eyes and slowly nodded, enjoying the soft touch of her hand. It felt…..comforting.

Lelouch opened his eyes and nodded again. Stepping away from C.C., he gently closed Clovis' eyelids.

'_In victory, one must be gracious.'_ He reminded himself. A truism told to him by his mother so often, he had been told by his maids he had said it in his sleep back in the Aries Palace.

A short time later a pair of shadowy figures left the command centre and boarded a vacant Sutherland, which shortly disappeared into the Ghetto.

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**With Kallen, Resistance Group Backup Hideout**

Kallen sat and listened to the rest of her group debate what the hell had happened in Shinjuku. She was waiting for Ohgi to step in and calm Tamaki down once he started ranting again before she reveals who she thought was responsible.

Suddenly, the radio crackled and a familiar voice speaks over it.

"_Q-1, this is K-1. Respond._" Kallen was at the radio in a flash.

"This is Q-1." She said, "Was it you? Did you cause the cease-fire?"

All around her, conversation stopped and everyone's attention was riveted to the radio.

"_Yes, it was._" Tamaki gaped at the radio and Ohgi looked at Kallen with a raised eyebrow, clearly curious as to how she had suspected K-1 to have saved them.

Kallen gulped in a breath of air then let it out. "Thank you. Britannian soldiers were about to execute P-Group and myself when the order was broadcast."

"_I did something slightly more useful and significant than merely cause a cease-fire, Q-1, although I am glad my timing was on target._" K-1's voice sounded amused.

Tamaki opened his moth, probably to demand who K-1 thought he was to gamble with their lives like that, but Inoue and Yoshida both clapped hands over his mouth to shut him up.

"Eh?" Kallen let out a squeak of surprise. After all of the seeming miracles K-1 had caused, she was almost insatiably curious as to what else he had done.

"W-What did you do?" she asked, almost afraid to ask, which was ridiculous. She wanted to know, so why not ask?

"_You'll see, in about a day._" K-1 said, his amusement fading and a more serious tone replacing it. "_Tell me, Q-1, why do you fight Britannia?_"

"To free Japan." Kallen replied instantly.

"_That is the ideal you pursue as a __result__ of the reason, not the reason itself._" K-1 admonishes her. Kallen blinked in surprise. K-1 continued talking.

"_All humans fight for personal reasons, be it for money, love, power, honour, joy in battle or revenge, before a grand ideal. Tell me, Q-1, what is your __true__ reason for fighting Britannia?_"

Kallen gaped at the radio, shocked at being seen through so easily, by this person she had never even _met,_ yet again!

Kallen shakes her head to clear it and considers. After all K-1 had done for her group today, she supposed an honest answer was not out of the question.

"Revenge." She spoke, anger's heat flickering in her voice, making all of her Resistance Cell flinch, "Britannia took my Onii-sama from me. Clovis ordered his death and disposed of the body as if it was trash! I wont rest until my brother's dream comes true- a Japan free of Britannian Tyranny!"

For a moment then there was silence from the radio then K-1 spoke again.

"_I am sorry for your loss. It would seem that you and I have a similar reason to fight. One of them, anyway._"

Before Kallen could wrap her head around that statement, K-1 had moved on.

"_I will contact you later. In the meantime, you should return to Ashford…Miss Kallen Stadtfelt._" The radio fell silent as Kallen's face blanched.

'_H-He knows who I am.'_ Kallen thought somewhat numbly, her mind hit with far too many different surprises for one day to catch up with them all.

Tamaki, free of Yoshida and Inoue, looked at Kallen and smirked.

"Never thought that anyone could shut you up like that." he crowed.

Ten seconds later, Ohgi and the rest had to pull Kallen off of Tamaki as she tried to throttle the fool.

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**Next Chapter: Chapter 5: Of Plans, Loyalty and Bargains.**

Authors Note: All the building I mentioned by name, as well as roads and subway stations, are actual buildings, roads and stations in Shinjuku. Google a map if you want to see the route Suzaku took.

I had always thought that C.C. must have been furious with Clovis for what he had ordered done to her, indifferent mask aside, so I gave her a chance to get her own back, as well as Lelouch actually taking the opportunity to take advantage of having a veritable goldmine of information sitting in his lap. Quite why he never took advantage of that in canon outright boggles the mind.

Now, the Lemons begin in the next chapter. I say this now and will say it again at the start of the next Chapter as well, so there is no way you do not know about it. This fic is rated M for a reason, y'know.

There is a new Poll going up. It is basically asking what story I should write after I finish this and shall stay up until New Years Day.

See you on the 16th!


	6. Chapter 5:Of Plans, Loyalty and Bargains

**Authors Note:** Well, it's slightly late, but here's the new chapter. I am quite gratified with the responses I got to that last Chapter, so to all of you who reviewed, my thanks.

Now, this Chapter has a lemon in it. That's why it took so long to write. If it ain't good, it's not that I didn't try.

I got a rather irritated person saying how Suzaku ended up looking like a fool. My answer? He **is** a fool. He is even more naïve than in canon in my story and (at the moment) disregards tactics he deems to be unjust or dishonourable. As to why the Lancelot didn't strut it's stuff, the ambushers were on top of buildings when they engaged him, so the Lancelot, without the VARIS-rifle, had no proper way to respond, giving the ambushers sufficient time to withdraw.

BTW, Tochō is the nickname for the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building, or Tokyo City Hall. I did mention it in the last chapter, but obviously wasn't clear enough.

Anyway, enough from me. Enjoy this fic!

**Disclaimer: If I owned Code Geass, I'd have never have invented the FLEIA weapon. As it's in Canon, I don't own Code Geass.**

"Kallen"-Speech

'_Lelouch_'-Thought/mental communication

"{Die}"-Geass Command

"**Halt!****"**-Loudspeaker

"_Roger._"-Radio/Walkie-Talkie

**WARNING: This Chapter contains a Lemon. If you do not wish to read it, skip over the indicated section!**

**Chapter 5: Of Plans, Loyalty and Bargains.**

**With Lelouch and C.C., Ashford Academy, 12.00am**

Lelouch sighed in relief as he saw the Ashford Academy Student Council Clubhouse, which had been his and Nunnally's home for the last two years, since his graduation from Ashford's Middle School Division.

'_A few hours ago, I thought I wouldn't ever see Ashford, or Nunnally, ever again._' Lelouch though soberly.

After ending his radio conversation with Kallen, he had stashed his second stolen Sutherland at a hidden location near Ashford, he, with C.C. in tow, had walked here.

"How are you going to explain me to your sister?" C.C. asked. The green haired immortal had been silent for the last ten minutes or so as they walked.

Lelouch stopped, turned his head and looked at her shrewdly. He had drawn out several plans in his mind about that subject, so now was as good a time as any to discuss them with her.

"Nunnally isn't who we have to be concerned with tonight, as by this time she should be asleep. My Japanese maid, Sayoko, is the one we have to explain ourselves to." Lelouch replied.

C.C., who had also stopped, cocked her head to one side in silent query.

"Sayoko Shinozaki. 37th Successor to the Shinozaki School of Taijutsu. 24 years old. She has served Nunnally and myself since we became wards of the Ashford Family, and was previously Milly Ashford's personal maid." Lelouch rattled off.

"She is aware of our true identities and loves Nunnally dearly. She always refers to me as 'My Lord' or with the honorific's '-sama' or '-dono'. She has helped me keep in shape and has personally taught me both _Kenjutsu_ and _Aikido_. Her loyalty to us is absolute and she has…_dealt_ with several people who have attempted to kidnap Nunnally, perverts and molesters mostly, and has expressed on several occasions the desire to track down and slay the one responsible for my mother's murder on Nunnally's behalf." Lelouch finished.

C.C.'s eyebrows rose in surprise.

"You remembered all that off of the top of your head?" she asked, sounding impressed.

Lelouch shrugged. "I have an excellent memory. Not photographic, but close. Anyway, telling her my plans will be fairly simple. How to introduce _you_, however, will be slightly more problematic." he told his companion.

"You have a plan." The immortal stated.

"Several. The first one would be to not hide anything and tell her everything." Lelouch said.

C.C. shook her head.

"Second idea, we could say that Clovis was using you for inhumane experimentation, merely omitting precisely what those experiments were for, and you desire revenge on Britannia as a result, joining up with me as a means to that end." Lelouch continued.

C.C. looked thoughtful at that one, but motioned for him to keep going.

"Third idea, you hate Britannia, for an unnamed and private reason, and had tried to assassinate Clovis, but failed and were imprisoned aboard his G-1. I released you and you joined up with me to continue attacking Britannia." Lelouch outlined his third plan with a dubious face.

C.C seemed to share his opinion as she shook her head again.

"My last plan is very simple: introduce you and tell her you are an ally. She ought to accept my word on the subject. She'll still keep an eye on you though." Lelouch finished and looked at the immortal, interested in her opinion.

C.C. looked somewhat dubious again. "Do you think she would accept such a….blatant…'this woman's identity is none of your concern' approach?"

"I do believe I would." a soft, feminine voice, located to the left and behind them, spoke up suddenly, causing Lelouch and C.C. to start in surprise.

"Sayoko, what have I said about getting enough sleep? AND about sneaking up on people?" Lelouch asked with a small sigh as he turned around to look at his maid.

"My Lord, you are extremely late. Lady Nunnally was most distraught. She only retired at a decent hour because I promised to stay up and greet you when you arrived." Sayoko said, somewhat reproachfully, as she stepped out of the shadows she had concealed herself in.

"For that I AM sorry." Lelouch told her, sincerity obvious in his voice, "I would never have worried Nunnally unless it was unavoidable, and today it _was_ unavoidable."

Sayoko had been studying Lelouch's face as he spoke and came to a conclusion.

"You have seen death this day, My Lord." Sayoko said, very, _very_ softly.

Lelouch merely nodded.

"I see. This seems a place ill-suited for such a conversation. Let us go inside." Sayoko said, turning and walking up the path towards the Clubhouse, Lelouch and C.C. following behind her.

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**With Lelouch, C.C. and Sayoko, Time Skip ½ an hour later.**

"…And then we came back here." Lelouch finished. Realising that it was pointless to try and conceal her part in the tale Lelouch was telling Sayoko, C.C. had told Sayoko everything Lelouch knew about Geass.

They were currently sitting at the dining table in Lelouch and Nunnally's quarters as Lelouch alternated between telling his story and eating the dinner Sayoko had reheated for him.

Sayoko had sat and listened, showing no emotion in either her face or body language and had interrupted only to ask for clarification of a point.

The only exception was when they had gotten to the part where Lelouch had almost been killed by Clovis' Royal Guard. Her eyes had narrowed, her fists had clenched and she gave off an aura of intimidation.

After a moment she had taken a deep breath and exhaled slowly. "Go on." She had said simply.

When the tale was done, Sayoko sat for a moment and seemed to be deep in thought, her eyes closed and a mild wrinkle on her brow. When her eyes opened, they looked at Lelouch indecipherably.

"I have three or four questions if I may, My Lord?" Sayoko said, her voice just as indecipherable as her eyes. At Lelouch's nod, she continued.

"Do you intend to rebel against your father, My Lord?" Was her first question.

"Yes." Lelouch responded simply, his eyes locked onto hers.

Sayoko slowly nodded, seeming to have already guessed the answer to that one.

"Why do you wish to wage war? For revenge?" Sayoko asked her second question with a slight inflection of steel.

'_Obviously she wouldn't approve of a war driven purely by revenge. It is a good thing that it is not._' Lelouch thought as he regarded his maid.

"I would be lying if I were to say revenge were not part of it, as it is." Lelouch spoke bluntly, respecting Sayoko too much as a person to try to deceive her, "But there are two other main reasons. The first is to repay Japan. During the months before the Invasion, Nunnally recovered far quicker than expected, due to the atmosphere around her, the….attitude…of the people she came into contact with."

Lelouch sighed and looked away, lost in memories. "You have to understand. At Pendragon, in the Imperial Court, even while recovering from losing her own mother and being brutally injured herself, Nunnally would have been forced not to show weakness, otherwise vultures would have stuck to take advantage of that weakness. In Japan, no-one had anything on their minds other than aiding in her recuperation. I owe much to Japan, on Nunnally's behalf."

Lelouch returned his gaze to a slightly teary Sayoko. "It's a debt I fully intend to repay."

"And…the other reason?" Sayoko asked somewhat hesitantly.

"To protect Nunnally's future." Lelouch said firmly. "As long as Britannia exists, there is a chance Nunnally and myself could be found. We would be made into pawns on Father's chessboard, made into tools again. _That_ I will _not_ allow." At those last five words, Lelouch's voice became as unbending as steel, determination poring off of him.

Sayoko nodded and spoke her third question.

"Will you use this power you have been given, use your Geass?"

"Yes, I will. To not use such an ability would be the height of foolishness." Lelouch told her. "But make no mistake, I was planning to rebel, even without Geass, at some point in the future. Obtaining Geass merely accelerated my timetable by a couple of decades."

C.C. snorted in amusement at that and Sayoko's mouth twitched upwards slightly at his frank admission.

"Hey! That was when I figured I could have amassed sufficient capital and followers to at least _begin_ to fight Britannia!" Lelouch protested their seeming amusement at his honesty.

"As you say, my Lord." Sayoko said with a straight face, "My final question is this then: Can you win?"

Lelouch sat and thought for a moment, then gave Sayoko his answer.

"To say with 100% confidence 'Yes, I can win' would be the height of foolishness, Sayoko." Lelouch said slowly and carefully, "There are far too many unknown variables, factors and possibilities to take into account, even in the short term. Who will replace Clovis as Viceroy and what policies will that person enact? Can I convince the group of Terrorists I worked with today to join me?"

Lelouch shook his head slowly.

"Far too many things to predict, even for me. But, I can promise you this, Sayoko," Lelouch locked eyes with Sayoko, "I will do everything in my abilities to emerge victorious, come what may."

The room was silent after that, as maid regarded prince, with an immortal looking on at the sidelines. Sayoko's face was inscrutable, giving nothing away, while Lelouch's face merely showed determination.

Abruptly, Sayoko stood up and moved to the side of the table where Lelouch sat. Lelouch regarded her warily as she faced him then jerked in surprise as she knelt on one knee, right arm crossed over her chest and her head bowed.

"I, Sayoko Shinozaki, 37th Heir to the Shinozaki School of Taijutsu, hereby swear my life, loyalty and honour to Lelouch Lamperouge. I am your sword and shield, your watcher in the shadows and keeper of your secrets. Do you accept this oath, Goshujin-sama?" Sayoko intoned formally, her words soft and precise.

Lelouch stood himself and reached down to touch Sayoko's shoulder. When she looked up, she saw the small, kind smile on his face and heard his reply.

"I, Lelouch Lamperouge, formerly Lelouch vi Britannia, do hereby accept your oath, Sayoko Shinozaki. You have my word that you shall never regret swearing yourself to me, as I swear to honour your loyalty with my own."

Sayoko beamed at this, the proof that the one she chose as her Master was indeed worthy of her oath.

"Domo arigatou gozaimasu, Goshujin-sama." Sayoko replied in Japanese, bowing her head again.

Lelouch smiled gently at his new follower as he gestured at her to rise.

Sayoko rose and re-took her seat, still possessing a small grin on her face at the quality of her Master.

"Now then, with Sayoko on board, keeping Nunnally in the dark will be much easier." Lelouch said aloud, clearly thinking aloud.

"Are you certain that is wise, My Lord?" Sayoko asked, concern plain in her voice, "To keep her unaware of all this seems…unwise."

"I know, Sayoko," Lelouch replied, consternation flashing across his face before swiftly being erased, "I would prefer to tell Nunnally the truth myself. However, she is, bluntly, a security risk."

A single brow on C.C.'s right eye rose elegantly in query. Lelouch answered her unspoken question.

"Nunnally is not unintelligent. Far from it in fact. However, she is very naïve and far too trusting of our estranged family." Lelouch shuddered as he recalled Guinevere, Carina and Odysseus. The vain, clothes obsessed, status-crazy Princess Guinevere, the arrogant, Brattiest Princess Carina and the dull, mediocre Prince Odysseus.

Lelouch swiftly banished the three from his mind and continued making his point to Sayoko.

"The instant she hears I plan on rebelling against father, and that I have already had Clovis killed, she would immediately seek to try to 'save me from my misguided line of thought' by constantly arguing with me, trying to obstruct me and being a constant, not to mention unwanted, distraction, taking the moral high ground the entire time." Lelouch finished, his face adorned with a somewhat sour look.

"My Lord, Lady Nunnally adores you! I am certain she wouldn't…" Sayoko tried to protest, but Lelouch shook his head in finality.

"Sayoko, she views fighting, for any reason barring self-defence, as one of the worst crimes anyone can commit. She is happy and content living together with me right now and would not understand my need to try to neutralise a potential threat to that. No, Nunnally is to be kept in the dark as much as possible." Lelouch countered Sayoko's protest with steely eyes.

Recognising an immovable object when she saw one, Sayoko bowed her head in acquiescence.

"Now, moving on….," Lelouch turned his head to the green haired immortal sitting next to him, "C.C., is there anything about Geass in general I need to be aware of that I currently am not?"

C.C. looked at Lelouch, seeming to weigh the question in her mind before answering.

"The more you use your Geass, the stronger it will become. The stronger it becomes, the more….effort….or perhaps willpower is a better term….you will have to use to deactivate it at will. Eventually, two things will happen, in no particular order: your Geass will become so strong that you will become unable to deactivate it and it will expand to your other eye. I call the last one, 'Geass Intoxication'. " The immortal replied in a bored manner, almost as if she was speaking by rote.

Lelouch and Sayoko looked at each other in alarm at the first of the two inevitable conditions.

"Is there anything that can impede Geass? Anything that can conceal it and prevent its use?" Lelouch asked.

"There is a special kind of glass that can be made into contact lenses. I can tell you where you can acquire it, but even that will eventually become useless as your Geass progresses in strength." C.C. told the former prince matter-of-factly.

Lelouch sat for a moment and processed this information, then carried on with his questions.

"What about something that prevents me from Geassing someone?" He asked. "I already know that I require eye-contact with a person in order to use my Geass, which shows that it _can_ be blocked."

C.C. looked thoughtful for a moment. "I know of only one other person with a Geass similar to yours, and his power can be blocked by something as simple as reflective sunglasses. As your power is similar, the same weakness might apply."

Lelouch filed this in his 'Highly Suspicious' folder.

"Sayoko, do we have any reflective sunglasses? We need to experiment to find out if this applies to my Geass." Lelouch asked the maid, who vanished and reappeared with a pair of the requested glasses.

As she looked questioningly at C.C., the yellow-eyed woman shook her head.

"I am immune to all Geass abilities, so a test on me would be pointless." The immortal said with a shrug. Lelouch made a note to ask her about that later.

Sayoko simply put the glasses on herself and faced Lelouch with a small nod of permission.

Lelouch hesitated and then activated his Geass, the red bird symbol appearing in his left eye as he issued a fairly harmless order to his loyal maid.

"{Sayoko, you will answer my questions.}" Lelouch intoned, the bird symbol flapping as he spoke.

"No, I will not." Sayoko responded. Lelouch deactivated his Geass with a small sigh of relief.

"Well, that proves it. C.C., give Sayoko the location of that contact lens manufactory. She can go and place a small order at some point next week." He nodded at Sayoko who bowed back in response as she removed the glasses.

"Anything else you wish to know?" C.C. asked airily. Lelouch frowned slightly as he turned back to her.

"There is, actually. When we made our contract, I saw a vision of my father, Charles zi Britannia and heard him speak. He said-" Lelouch's frown turned into a glare at this point, "-something about a 'convergence with a Ragnarok Connection' and how 'the myth is beginning once again'."

Across from Lelouch, Sayoko had tensed up and one of her hands was concealed by the table. Lelouch suspected she had palmed a hidden knife.

"So, C.C., is there anything you would care to share with us? Anything at all?" Lelouch spoke, his voice deceptively light as his eyes bored a hole in C.C.

The woman looked between the angry prince and the flight-or-fight ready ninja-maid and sighed.

'_Well, they would have found out anyway, so this isn't too bad._' C.C. thought as she returned Lelouch's glare with an apathetic stare of her own, '_I'll tell him some of the truth, just not all of it just yet._'

"Yes, I know your father fairly well. I should, considering I spent over thirty years in the Imperial Court." C.C. answered, shocking both of her interrogators.

"But people would remember an attractive green haired woman who had the exact same appearance for over thirty years!" Lelouch protested, then paused as a puzzle piece clicked into place. "He has a Geass, doesn't he?"

"Correct." C.C. smiled as Lelouch's eyes narrowed in thought.

'_So, he thinks I'm attractive?_' the immortal thought with a barely perceivable blush. '_Interesting…._'

"Is his Geass the one that is similar to mine?" Lelouch asked sharply.

"It is. No two Geass are ever exactly the same, just as no two people think alike, but both your Geass and Charles' Geass are fairly easy to classify and are surprisingly similar." C.C. told her two person audience.

"You, Lelouch, have the Power of Absolute Obedience. You can command anyone to do anything, including altering their memories and making them obedient to you. I wouldn't be surprised if you could make it so they became unbearably horny upon command."

Both Sayoko and Lelouch went as red as cherries at that last example.

"Charles on the other hand, possesses the Power of Mental Manipulation. By making eye contact with his target, he can freely suppress, alter and create memories, even completely replacing one person with another in memories is easily within his abilities. He can also suppress a person's Geass by placing it in a cage of amnesia."

Lelouch was reeling with the information he was confronted with. His father's Geass meant that a face to face confrontation would not work as it would lead to his own defeat.

"Did you give him this Geass?" he asked.

"No, there is another person able to bestow Geass in the Imperial Court called V.V. and he is a close confidant of your father." C.C. replied.

"Just how many people in the Court have a Geass?" Lelouch demanded.

C.C. shrugged lightly. "My knowledge is seven years out of date, but when I left, only two: your father and The Knight of One. Another died just prior to me leaving."

"Who?" Lelouch snarled, having guessed who it was already.

"Your mother, although she never activated her Geass until the day she died." C.C. replied, face and voice utterly bland.

Lelouch's face twitched a couple of times as anger fought with control. Eventually, control won and he exhaled a heavy sigh.

"What Geass does Bismarck Waldstein posses?" he enquired.

"The Power of Reading Trajectories. He can 'see' where and how an opponent will move several seconds in advance, allowing him to react accordingly. The only person who has defeated this Geass was your mother, Marianne 'The Flash'." was the stunning reply from C.C.

"Mother was able to defeat an opponent with such a powerful ability?" Lelouch whispered, almost reverently.

"Indeed she did." C.C. told him, clearly amused. "Bismarck held a considerable level of respect for Marianne from his first defeat and trained himself to both not rely on his Geass _and_ combining his Geass with his piloting skill. His skill rose by leaps and bounds. He still never beat your mother, even with his new skill level AND his Geass put together. Before I left I created a seal for him that prevented him from using his Geass unless he fought someone on par with Marianne, by his own request."

Lelouch tried to wrap his head around the new idea that not all members of the Imperial Court had hated his mother, and immediately shelved the information for later analysis.

"And Mother?" he asked.

"I never saw her use it, so I cannot say with certainty." C.C. replied.

'_It _is_ the truth. I never saw her Power of Soul Transference, so I cannot be certain that is what it is._' The immortal thought as she deflected his question deftly.

"Ok then. What about this 'V.V.' character. What about him? Or is it a her?" Lelouch asked curiously.

"Him. And I'd rather not talk about him. He and I get along like oil and water." C.C. replied, her face locking down in an unsuitable mask.

There was silence until Sayoko spoke up. She had, Lelouch noted, put the knife back from wherever she had taken it from.

"My Lord, doesn't the fact that you saw your father imply ms. C.C. still has some sort of connection with someone close to your father?" she enquired.

C.C. was grateful for the deflection and answered Sayoko before Lelouch could recover from his surprise.

"Indeed, I do. However, I am considering severing it." she replied, subtly eyeing Lelouch as he recovered and openly scrutinised her.

"Why?" was his simple question.

"For several reasons. First among them is that you are my new contractor. We are partners. Collaborators. It makes no sense to either passively or actively aid people trying to kill my contractor."

Lelouch nodded, accepting this statement. "That makes sense. Any other reasons?"

C.C. hesitated and gave a sidelong look to Sayoko before cutting back to Lelouch.

"I would prefer to discus that in private."

Lelouch raised his eyebrows but nodded.

"Anything else you would like to ask Sayoko?" Lelouch asked the maid.

"Would it be possible for me to receive a Geass?" was completely unexpected and caused both Lelouch and C.C. to gape at the maid in utter astonishment.

"Sayoko?!" Lelouch choked out.

"It makes sense, My Lord. Your father possesses at least one, probably more, person possessing a powerful Geass. You need something to counter that, and I wish to be the first to aid you in this matter." she told him.

Lelouch conceded that, but it was not up to him. He looked at C.C., who had recovered and was regarding Sayoko with an intent look on her face.

"C.C.?" he voiced his query softly, as if not wanting to disturb her. She looked at him out of the corner of her eye then returned to regarding Sayoko.

"Girl, you realise that there is no way to know what your Geass will be in advance? It might be something completely useless for all you know." The immortal told the maid.

"I am willing to accept the possibility." Sayoko replied, unperturbed.

"In addition, a Geass is not free. It is given in trade for something. An exchange of services. What would you give in exchange for power?" C.C. continued, eyes locked on Sayoko's own.

"Nothing that will harm, betray or otherwise inconvenience Lady Nunnally or my Goshujin-sama. Other than that, you may ask whatever you will of me." Sayoko replied, as she returned C.C.'s searching gaze with an impassive one of her own.

"Pfff…..Hah, hahahahahahahaha!" C.C. erupted into laughter, throwing her head back and closing her eyes.

"Ah….such a strong resolve. Such determination. Such devotion! You will have to tell me what my partner here did to evoke such loyalty from you someday." C.C. said after she stopped laughing. "Very well. I shall grant you power. In exchange, you must grant one wish of mine. Do you accept?"

Sayoko nodded. "I do. What must I do?"

"Merely touch your hand to mine." C.C. said extending her right hand. Sayoko, without hesitation, grabbed on to it and immediately froze up. C.C.'s mark on her forehead glowed a luminescent red as she began the contract.

Lelouch looked on, of two minds about this. On one hand, it was interesting to see a contract being made from the outside, but on the other it was worrying he had no idea what condition Sayoko was agreeing to.

C.C.'s mark ceased glowing and Sayoko unfroze and looked around in something of a daze.

"Sayoko, are you alright?" Lelouch asked, concerned.

"Y-Yes. I'm fine, My Lord. It is merely somewhat…disorientating to go through. I'm….amazed you were able to function properly so soon after making your contract." she replied, somewhat breathless.

"The threat of being killed focuses the mind wonderfully." Lelouch replied dryly.

"It did help that you have a very resilient and adaptable mind. The initial strength of the Geass depends on a person's mental strength and mental complexity." C.C. remarked to Lelouch.

"Interesting. Anyway, do you know what Sayoko's Geass is?" Lelouch said, curious.

"Not a clue. We won't know until she activates it." C.C. said with a shrug.

"Sayoko, do you feel up to trying it out?" Lelouch asked. Sayoko was back to normal and nodded briskly.

Sayoko focussed and the Geass sigil appeared in her left eye. Sayoko frowned for a moment and looked around the room. She gasped when she looked at Lelouch.

"Oh my."

"What? What is it?" Lelouch asked, eager for information.

"I-I can see an….an _aura_ around you, My Lord. It's…..royal blue. And I get the impression of immense intelligence and curiosity." Sayoko replied, seemingly entranced by what she could see.

"Interesting." C.C. commented. "Lelouch, what were you thinking of when Sayoko looked at you?"

"I was running through all of the powers Geass has manifested thus far and theorising all the possible abilities there could be based on those abilities. I was also curious about what kind of Geass Sayoko would manifest." Lelouch replied.

"Think about something else. Your sister." The immortal directed.

Lelouch did as he was asked and thought about Nunnally. Her smile, her gentle nature, her resilience and how much he loved her.

"Oh my," Sayoko said, sounding somewhat awed. "Your aura….it's changed. It's now a light pink, tinged with a light blue and edged with black."

"What impressions do you get from the Aura?" C.C. asked.

"Love. Incredibly strong love, tinged with sadness and grief." Sayoko replied softly.

"Well, this Geass is fairly easy to classify. It's the Power of Emotional Reading." C.C. said with an air of finality, "You'll probably be able to delve deeper and get a picture of what the person you are reading is thinking about once your Geass gains in strength."

"Oh my." came from Sayoko again as she deactivated her Geass.

"Sayoko, this is an excellent Geass you have acquired. Imagine it: you'll be able to tell if someone's lying or if they plan to attack Nunnally or….the possibilities are numerous!" Lelouch expounded with a smirk.

"An ability perfectly suited to a bodyguard." C.C. agreed.

"My thanks, Lady C.C." Sayoko replied. Lelouch raised an eyebrow at Sayoko's change in addressing C.C., but it made sense, as C.C. had done an immense favour for her.

"Now, as I have school tomorrow, we had better wrap things up, but before we do, let's talk about how we go about rebelling against Britannia. We will need disguises and alter egos. The last thing we need is anyone recognising any of us." Lelouch said, laying out his ideas. Sayoko and C.C. both nodded.

"Sayoko, you have been a shield against our foes for years. Your codename shall be….Aegis." Lelouch told Sayoko, who bowed in her seat at this.

"C.C., you offer considerable experience due to your long life and can tell us what we need to hear, rather than what we want to hear, therefore _your_ codename shall be….Augur." Lelouch told the immortal who merely rolled her eyes at his fanciful name.

"And yourself, My Lord?" Sayoko asked.

"Britannia has been obsessed with Numbers for years now, calling all their conquered territories by Numbers." Lelouch said, a chilling grin on his face, "So then, I shall become the absence of Numbers: I shall be called…..Zero."

**LLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL**

**Lelouch's Room, Ten Minutes Later**

"So, C.C., what is it you wished to discuss away from Sayoko?" Lelouch asked as he sat at his desk, lazily finishing his homework that he had due for the next day. Latin, History, Mathematics, Political Sciences….all done, leaving only the report on nutrition for Home Economics.

All fairly easy for Lelouch.

C.C. was reclined on the bed, waving her legs and leaning her head on her arms.

"Are you not going to ask about what Sayoko promised to do in exchange for her Geass?" C.C. asked, probing the boy for a reaction.

"I doubt you would tell me if I did." Lelouch replied dryly, as he closed his notebook and swivelled his chair around to face the immortal woman, leaning his head on one hand as he did so.

"I will confess, I _am_ curious, but as Sayoko set her limits before you made the contract, I am not too concerned." Lelouch finished with a small shrug.

C.C. looked at the boy in front of her and stopped herself from licking her lips. He had discarded his uniform top and his shirt was half unbuttoned, revealing quite a bit of his well muscled chest.

Now, C.C. wasn't unfamiliar with well muscled men, having been born and raised during a time period where a soldier had needed to get up-close and personal with the foe, and had trained accordingly, but Lelouch was something else entirely.

C.C. had been sold off as a girl to be a slave to a wealthy feudal lord in what was now the Euro Universe. Slave girls had next to no chance of retaining their chastity, and C.C. would have suffered the same fate had her master, most of his male servants and all of his guests, not been homosexual.

That, however, did _not_ mean she was not beaten, starved, degraded and, all in all, put in a situation where she frequently wished she was dead. After she had been beaten near to death, escaped from her master and then received her Geass of Love Attraction from her contractor, she had simply revelled in the simple joy of not getting beaten, of people actually acknowledging her existence being above trash.

Then, her contractor had betrayed her, forcing the Code Geass upon her and died, leaving her alone.

C.C. had despaired and tried multiple times to kill herself, only to come to the conclusion that she was 100% immortal, after she failing to drown in the Channel.

As the centuries passed, she found herself unwilling to give her virginity to anyone, male or female, until she began to wonder if she had been rendered utterly asexual as a result of the damn Code.

Oh, she liked _looking_ as much as any woman, but she had no desire to touch or kiss _whatsoever_. It was maddening to think that not only did that thrice-damned nun steal any choice she had in her future, she had, it seemed, also stolen any and all of her _desires_ as an encore.

I mean, what was the point in doing anything if you didn't enjoy doing it?

Especially sex of all things!

At least, until she had met Lelouch.

He seemed to embody the traits she found most attractive in a man -smart, strong, handsome, caring, devoted and humble. When she made contracts with a person, she gleaned a slight understanding of who the person was at their core, their true self.

Fury, grief, despair, a healthy desire for vengeance -all of these were present within Lelouch. However, they paled in comparison to the strength of his _will_, his unthinking charisma, his sheer determination and the devotion he felt for his crippled, blinded, utterly _adorable_ sister.

Lelouch wasn't just a diamond in the rough, he was a damn giant among dwarves.

"C.C.?" Lelouch called her name, jerking her out of her introspection.

"What? Sorry, I got lost in thought for a moment." C.C. said, inwardly cringing at such a lame excuse.

"I asked what you wanted to do regarding school. Do you want me to pull strings to enrol you?" Lelouch repeated his question, with no visible sign of irritation.

"Why in God's name would I want to enrol in _high school _of all things?" C.C. asked.

Lelouch shrugged. "To pass the time, to keep a closer eye on me….anything else you wish to add?"

C.C. thought for a moment, then shrugged.

"If you wish me to attend, by all means do so. I have no preference." she replied, returning his shrug.

"Fair enough." Lelouch said, making a note on a notepad, then looked her square in the eyes.

"Why have you been so open?" he asked intently.

C.C. raised an eyebrow coyly.

"Don't give me that. You refuse to say what wish it is you wish me to grant you, but readily tell both me and Sayoko a considerable amount of information about Geass, my father and even gave Sayoko a Geass of her own." Lelouch said, gazing intently into her eyes without blinking, "That leads me to conclude that either whatever it is your going to ask of me is not something I will like and are diverting me with superfluous and excessive information _or_ you are uncertain as to your own wish. Which is it?"

C.C. blankly stared back at him for a moment then, cocking her head to the side slightly, asked, "Can it not be a bit of both?"

Lelouch sat still for a moment before uttering a single word, "Explain."

C.C. responded by revealing her Geass sigil on her forehead, usually hidden beneath her bangs.

"This is called Code Geass. It grants the person who bears it eternal youth, eternal life and immortal regeneration, in addition to grant people the power of Geass, also known as the Power of the King." C.C. told him, before concealing the mark with her hair again and continued.

"I had this curse _forced_ on me over 700 years ago, during what you call the High Middle Ages. Every day I have been forced to live has been full of little but dreary days where I had go on, just trying to find a way to rid myself of my Code." C.C. had a melancholic look on her face as she spoke, her eyes haunted.

"In that time I have been 'killed' in numerous ways, from a sword to the heart, to poison, being trampled to death. I was even burned at the stake once. In all that time though, I was always still viewed as a human, as someone who was equal with other people, regardless of my abilities."

C.C. then ground her teeth and had a furious expression on her face.

"Then that, that…..pompous _ass_ Clovis captured me. I was relegated to a status lower than a _pig_, lower than even a _slave_ by that man! I was merely experimental material for that man, one he knew couldn't wear out or die. Never have I been so humiliated, lain so beneath contempt that I was referred to as 'Prime Material Number 00' by those bastard scientists!"

Lelouch's eyes were ablaze with fury as he looked at her, although anger was all that showed on the immortal's face.

"The experiments were…..awful. The _pain_….oh, the _pain_ was monumental. And constant. I was dismembered, injected with acid, beheaded, skewered, exsanguinated, beaten, broken and killed in almost every imaginable way." C.C. said bitterly, "Throughout it all, they tried to artificially replicate my Code and bombarded me with questions whenever I had just revived. As if I would tell them _anything_. And on the torture went: electrocution, poison gas, neurotoxins, suffocation….the list goes on."

"C.C….." Lelouch spoke up, concern in his voice.

"Let me finish. Please?" the green-haired woman asked him. When he reluctantly nodded, she continued, "What made it worse was the fact I knew Charles had found out about Clovis' project and had given his unofficial blessing. The pompous fool told me himself, not a month ago." C.C. shook her head and laughed bitterly.

"Ironic isn't it? One of the few people I have trusted in a century betrayed me, even going so far as to give Clovis blueprints for a device that prevented me from using my Code to escape." C.C.'s voice was full of emotions, rage and betrayal chief amongst them.

"Then today, those terrorists showed up and stole me, removing me from the device's envelope. For the first time in over a year and a half, I could access all of my abilities. I knew that it was only a matter of time before Clovis deployed forces to chase me, but still, I hoped I would get away…" C.C. allowed her voice to trail away as she turned to look at Lelouch.

"Then, who should come across me but Marianne's son? I could feel your mind, concerned and proud, faintly at the edge of my awareness. I had promised Marianne to give you a Geass if she was unable to protect you herself, so I had planned on finding you in Japan, but I got caught by the buffoon before I could find you."

Lelouch's eyes widened at this revelation as C.C. continued her tale.

"I tried to speak using my Code as a medium for telepathy, but Bartley's people had doped me up with sedatives, so I was unsure if you heard me or not."

"I did, very faintly." Lelouch told her.

"I see…. Anyway, when the capsule I was in opened, the first thing I saw…was you and your soldier friend. I was so relieved to see you that I succumbed to the sedatives. When I came to, we were in the tunnels. You know what happened after that." C.C. said and Lelouch merely nodded.

"I do." he said, regarding the woman in front of him with new respect. To have endured what she had, not just while in Clovis' clutches, but over her entire 700 year lifespan, was humbling and demanded respect for her strength of mind and will. He doubted he could keep it together after all of that.

"To answer your curiosity, my contract with Sayoko is this: she will do her utmost to ensure your survival and not interfere in my relationship with you, whatever form it might take." C.C. told him, a small smirk on her face.

Lelouch was rather startled at the sudden _non sequitur_. Then his eyes narrowed suspiciously as he processed her words.

" 'Your relationship with me?' " he parroted as he crossed his arms, "By that you mean….what, exactly?"

"Precisely as it sounds. At the moment we are collaborators and acquaintances. I would like it if we could become more than that." C.C. told him bluntly.

"I….see." Lelouch said, drawing out his response to give his reeling mind more time to think.

'_Does she mean what I _think_ she means?_' Lelouch thought incredulously.

C.C. smiled as if she could read his mind.

"Yes, Lelouch. I would like to become your lover. Or your mistress. Either will suit me fine."

"Can…I ask precisely _why_?" Lelouch managed to get out.

The immortal gazed at him as if to say _'Are You Kidding?'_.

"Let me _see_. A handsome, honourable and strong man saves me from the clutches of an evil prince; directs a rag-tag crew of misfits to victory over vastly numerically superior forces; _captures_ said evil prince and allows me to exact my vengeance against him; then offering me sanctuary at his _own home_." C.C. recited, sarcasm evident in her voice, "_No_, I cannot _think_ of a single reason _whatsoever_ why I might feel indebted, attracted and grateful to you in any way."

Lelouch suspected she was enjoying this immensely.

"To sweeten the deal, I will break my connection with the person in Charles' Court, Lelouch." C.C. said softly, causing Lelouch to look at her intently. This was the first time she had used his name rather than 'boy', so she must be serious.

"How much does this person you are in contact with know about me?" he asked.

"Nothing, other than the fact you are male." C.C. replied.

Lelouch sat and thought for a moment.

"Is the link fully within your control?" he probed.

"Not entirely. I am the one who can open, close and sever it, however once opened, it must remain open for at least an hour before I can close it again, unless I am 'killed'. In addition, once the link is severed, the backlash will leave me somewhat light-headed for a while." C.C. told him.

Lelouch sighed in resignation. There were no two ways about it, this was a backdoor in his security he couldn't _not_ close. He had underestimated her tremendously: C.C. was extremely sneaky and ruthless when it came to getting what she wanted.

'_Kind of like Milly, now I come to think about it._' Lelouch thought wryly.

It wasn't like the idea of having the woman as a lover repulsed him, far from it in fact. The fact he was, despite his battalion of fan girls, a virgin was one part of his hesitation, the fact he was being slightly pressured into this was another.

"You really won't take no for an answer will you, C.C.?" Lelouch finally said, half-rhetorically.

C.C. batted her eyelashes at him in a come-hither fashion.

"When a girl sees something she wants, she doesn't stop at half measures if she wishes to get it." C.C. told him smugly.

"Hahhh. Fine then, I'll agree to your terms, on the condition you sever the connection right now while I have a shower." Lelouch relented with a sigh, recognising when he is outmanoeuvred.

"Agreed." C.C. said with a nod.

Lelouch then padded off to the shower, leaving C.C. to her task. She was glad she had been able to distract him with an abridged version of her life story. He wasn't yet ready to hear what he wished to know.

Closing her eyes, C.C. delved into the World of C, seeking the connection between herself and Marianne that she had forged after the woman had been killed by that jealous, petulant brat V.V.

'_The boy creates a contract with Charles to never lie to each other, then lies to him about killing her. Hypocrite._' C.C. thought with disgust as she set about dismantling the connection.

The fact the 'brat' in question was a good sixty years old was neither here nor there for the 700 year old woman.

She felt the connection pulse. Apparently Marianne had felt what she was doing and was trying to get her to open the connection to find out what it was she was doing and why.

'_Sorry Marianne, but if I must choose between a former contractor and a current one, you know what my choice must be._' C.C. thought as she severed the last anchor of the connection, causing it to dissolve into nothing.

Immediately, she felt the backlash hit her and she felt immensely tired, yet relieved at the same time. Reabsorbing power from dissolving a mind-connection in C's World was always tiring as her body adjusted to the excess power that usually sustained and powered such links.

C.C. opened her eyes to see a sight for her eyes: a half-naked Lelouch with a towel around his waist, towelling his damp hair with another. It was all she could do not to drool. Her womanhood throbbed as well, in a most distracting way.

"You can go in now, if you want. I can't imagine Clovis'…._hospitality_ didn't run to much in general hygiene." Lelouch told her as he draped the towel over his shoulders.

C.C. nodded somewhat dazedly and tottered off to the shower. Once the door was shut, she leaned against it, panting.

'_My God. The boy…._Lelouch_….is amazing. I got wet just _looking_ at him half naked!_" C.C. thought in wonder.

She quickly stripped off the prisoner restraint suit and threw it in the bin. If she never saw the damn thing again, it would be too soon. As she stood under the heavenly torrent of hot water, she ran her hand over the ugly scar under her left breast.

It was the only wound on her body, the only blemish that never faded. The proof of her own contractor's betrayal of her.

The wound that killed her and activated the Code that had been forced on her.

She had, after recovering from her despair induced attempts at suicide, sworn to never do the same thing. A Code given in such a way was a curse. Her year long attempt at suicide was proof enough of that.

No, she would give her code to someone who both knew about it and wished to possess it. Then she would live the rest of a natural lifespan and die at long, long last.

She would wait, she decided, before telling Lelouch about the Code's transference conditions. If she sprung it on him too soon, there was no telling what his reaction would be.

As she dried her body, she began to feel nervous about what lay ahead. She was a virgin and she suspected he was as well, given all the visual cues she had been giving he missed.

'_Well, in for a Pound, in for a Penny._' C.C. thought as she wrapped a large towel around herself and breathed deeply a couple of times before padding back to Lelouch's room.

_******WARNING!-LEMON SCENE AFTER THIS! If you don't wanna read, skip this section!******_

Lelouch sat on his bed and watched C.C. as she walked out of the bathroom, her slightly damp hair clinging to her skin in an alluring fashion.

Her legs were long and elegant, the towel highlighting her every curve in a most seductive way- as she intended, Lelouch surmised.

As she walked towards him, she reached up and slowly undid her towel, allowing it to fall to the ground, revealing her fully naked body to him.

Lelouch actually gulped when he saw her entirety. Her skin was pale and almost luminescent, her stomach was toned and flat and her breasts were pert and well shaped, her nipples were stiff with her own arousal.

The only blemish to her porcelain skin was an ugly looking scar just below her left breast. It resembled the Geass Sigil bisected vertically by a thin line.

'_A scar? As she has not got a scar from that bullet she took earlier today, she must have received that before gaining immortality._' a part of Lelouch's brain that wasn't overrun by his rising desires thought absently.

C.C. blushed at his frank examination of her body and quickly closed the distance between them and capturing his lips in a kiss in an instant.

Lelouch froze momentarily then started to kiss back, his arms reaching for her unconsciously, drawing her close to him.

C.C. shivered at the close contact, her own hands grasping his shoulders tightly as she deepened their kiss.

Eventually they both had to come up for air and held each other as they panted, gazing into each others eyes as they grew hotter.

"I think you're wearing too much clothing, lover." C.C. purred out, reaching for the towel around his waist.

Lelouch helped her ease the towel off, appreciating her gasp as his manhood came into view.

"Oh…..wow." C.C. murmured as she stared at how hard Lelouch was. Then she gave a small squeak as Lelouch picked her up and laid her on the bed before resuming the kiss.

'_Damn, just….damn._' C.C. thought as Lelouch ruthlessly plundered her mouth, his hands massaging her breasts slowly and gently, making her moan at the pleasure.

As he kissed C.C., Lelouch felt….proud. He was inexperienced, yet here was C.C., reacting to his ministrations in such a gratifying way.

He had to make her feel more.

Lelouch broke the kiss and moved down to her womanhood. It glistened in the light, the love juices of her arousal seeping from between her petals.

Lelouch leaned forward and gave it an experimental lick.

C.C. jerked in surprise as Lelouch's tongue made contact made contact with her most precious spot, sending a wave of pleasure through her.

'_It feels this good just from a single lick?! If he puts IT in…..I might lose consciousness!_' C.C. thought dizzily, gasping and panting

Lelouch, evidently satisfied that she liked what he was doing, started to lavish her womanhood with more attention. C.C. reflexively cried out in pleasure, then bit her lip as she remembered Nunnally and Sayoko just a few doors down. She still whimpered at how GOOD Lelouch was making her feel.

She was, however, unprepared for the surge of pleasure as he focused his attention on the little nerve cluster at the top of her womanhood. She gasped and grabbed his head, uncertain whether she wanted him to stop or never stop.

A feeling gradually built up in her as Lelouch continued his ministrations, one that she knew even though she had never felt it before in her life.

"L-Lelouch…!" she whimpered, tangling her fingers in his ebon locks, her legs locking around his head as the feeling grew to uncontrollable levels, "I-I'm…!"

"Don't hold back, C.C." Lelouch told her, before returning to his new pastime of driving her crazy with pleasure.

C.C. threw her head back at the renewed assault, panting and moaning as the sensation threatened to overwhelm her.

No longer able to hold back, C.C. came for the first time, biting her hand to muffle the shriek that boiled out of her as her climax came upon her.

Temporarily spent, her body lay unmoving on the bed, her chest rising and falling as she recovered, panting and gasping for air.

Lelouch kneeled at her side, watching the immortal recover from his attentions with a smirk on his face.

"Sooo…." He began, "Did you enjoy that then?"

"W-What do you think?" C.C. panted out as she sat up, still slightly out of breath from her climax.

Lelouch merely sat and watched her expectantly, making C.C. roll her eyes in exasperation.

"Fine! I haven't felt that good in my entire existence. Happy?" C.C. said as she relented to her soon-to-be lover's enquiry.

"Very much so." Lelouch replied with a genuine smile on his face. C.C. on the other hand got to her knees and reached for Lelouch, grabbing his head and kissed him soundly.

"Lelouch…please….I….I want you." C.C. said after they broke apart for air.

Lelouch could see the desire in her eyes and on her flushed face.

"C.C., I want you as well, but keep in mind that I am a virgin, so I can't claim any great prowess at sex." Lelouch cautioned her. He didn't want to raise her expectations only to have them disappointed.

The immortal giggled. "Lelouch, I'm a virgin as well."

Lelouch gaped at her, utterly unable to comprehend the words she had just spoken.

"After 700 years?!" he finally asked incredulously.

"Yes." C.C. replied as she began to rub her breasts on Lelouch's chest, "I had worried that my Code was preventing me from feeling anything for others, but now I know that it merely required the right person to awaken them from their stasis."

"But doesn't this mean that your hymen will just regenerate if it's broken?" Lelouch asked with worry and concern in his voice.

C.C. cocked her head to the side and thought for a moment before shaking her head.

"It doesn't work like that." C.C. told him firmly, "My Code regenerates injuries dealt to me, that is true. But my hymen is _supposed_ to be broken, so it will not regenerate."

Lelouch sagged slightly in relief.

"Now that your mind has been set at ease, lover boy, can we…continue?" C.C. asked with a sultry lilt to her voice that made Lelouch's body react in….interesting ways.

"Of course." Lelouch replied and began kissing her again.

As he continued to kiss the immortal woman, Lelouch eased her into leaning back on the bed, her long green hair splayed in fan shape beneath her.

C.C.'s body stiffened slightly as Lelouch gently eased her legs apart, exposing her womanhood to him.

He continued kissing her as he positioned himself at the entrance to her most precious spot and, with a single thrust, inserted his manhood into her.

The hands that had been lightly resting on his arms suddenly clamped down as a non-verbal expression of pain from the immortal, while a muffled cry of pain came from her mouth and resonated into his own.

Breaking off from the kiss, Lelouch regarded C.C. with concern. She was alternating between panting at the pain and biting her lip, which was hardly a surprise. It didn't matter how much you got used to having pain inflicted on you, a new kind of pain would always take you by surprise -especially when women have their maidenhead broken.

"I-I'm fine, Lelouch." C.C. gasped out, "B-Be gentle though?"

"Of course!" Lelouch replied, somewhat offended she thought he would be anything but gentle.

He began slowly thrusting his manhood in and out of her, making sure to pace himself so she had ample time for the pain to fade and the pleasure to begin.

C.C. was caught between the pain of her maidenhead being broken (Which hurt like hell) and the rising pleasure she felt at the gentle thrusts of Lelouch's manhood, which was rapidly coming to surpass the pain and eclipse it.

Lelouch himself was astonished by how _good_ this felt. The sensations were good, but seeing his partner enjoy what he was doing to her so visibly enhanced that feeling to nigh unknown plateaus.

"Lelouch…you can…go…faster…" C.C. gasped out, her arms reaching up and looped around his neck, holding him closer to her.

Lelouch did as he was asked and increased his tempo, making his lover moan loudly before she bit her lip again to keep quiet.

Lelouch could feel his pleasure building to an uncontrollable level, it just felt too _good_.

"C.C….I-I'm…" Lelouch grunted out, his breath coming in gasps as he fought to hold back his climax as long as possible.

"Me too!" C.C. moaned out, the immortal woman also swiftly and inexorably approaching her peak for the second time that night.

The intertwined bodies of the exiled prince and the immortal witch sped up the place of their intercourse. Or rather, as it had become, their lovemaking. The difference subtle, but tangible.

Suddenly, the lovers cried out in unison, their peaks reached at the same time.

"C.C.!"

"Lelouch!"

For a long moment, Lelouch and C.C. lay together, entwined, basking in the afterglow, panting tiredly as they recovered from their exertions, then Lelouch withdrew himself from C.C.'s womanhood and laid himself down next to her.

_******LEMON OVER!******_

C.C. cuddled in with him and smiled at him somewhat shyly.

"That was incredible, Lelouch. Thank you." The immortal told him, blushing slightly.

"That was incredible, I agree." Lelouch said, blushing himself, "Now I can see why Rivalz is so eager to get a girlfriend."

"Rivalz?" C.C. asked with a small frown. She hadn't heard about him yet, save a passing reference to him during his tale to Sayoko.

"A friend of mine. He's the secretary of the Student Council and my gambling accomplice." Lelouch told her, putting an arm over her shoulders, earning him a pleased hum from the immortal, "He also has an unrequited crush on Milly Ashford, the Student Council President and his grand ambition in life is to 'get a girlfriend and spectacularly lose his virginity before he turns eighteen', or so he says."

C.C. shook her head at that and returned to smiling up at Lelouch, her mind still unable to believe how he had made her feel better, both physically _and_ mentally, than she had in centuries.

"Well, we've both had a long day, so we really should get some sleep." Lelouch said, looking down at the woman in his arms, his eyes seeking permission.

C.C. nodded and Lelouch turned the lights off, plunging the room into darkness.

Soon, Lelouch was asleep, his light and regular breathing a soothing rhythm for C.C. as she steadily became more sleepy.

Just before she fell asleep, the immortal smirked and though, '_Accursed Nun! Foul betrayer! One part of your curse has been lifted! I can _feel_ again! Just you wait. I _will_ rid myself of this curse of Immortality and be free of your memory forever!_'

In the corridor outside, a red faced Sayoko stood, frozen with shock. She had heard a disturbance and had moved to investigate. She hadn't expected what she had discovered however.

Irrationally, she felt somewhat jealous of C.C. for being able to sleep with **her** Goshujin-sama. _Wait, Jealous?_

'_This is ridiculous. You are twenty-four years old, Sayoko! Lelouch-sama is seventeen! You've even sworn yourself to him and sworn not to interfere with their relationship as part of your contract with C.C.-sama!_' Sayoko mentally scolded herself as she unfroze and walked off.

She needed time to think thing through.

**LLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL**

_Next Chapter: Kallen and the Student Council._

**Authors Note:** Well, that's it for this chapter. I seem to write more each chapter. Is that a bad thing?

This chapter has several twists, the most important two being Lelouch getting informed of Geass intoxication and how to counter it, and Sayoko getting a Geass. What do you think of it? Read and review!

In the Poll, thus far 53 people have voted. Out of over 6000 people who have read my story this month. A few have said that they don't like to vote on a poll without a wee overview. I merely wish to see what title catches your attention the most, with zero background info to go on.

See you on the 30th!


	7. Chapter 5-5: The Emperor

**Disclaimer: I own Code Geass about as much as Lelouch likes his old man.**

"Kallen"-Speech

'_Lelouch_'-Thought/mental communication

"{Die}"-Geass Command

"**Halt!****"**-Loudspeaker

"_Roger._"-Radio/Walkie-Talkie

**Chapter 5.5: The Emperor's Reaction**

**Sword of Akasha, C's World**

"Marianne, what did you just say?" Charles zi Britannia said, an uncommon perturbed look upon his regal face.

"I **said** that C.C. has severed our connection." The person speaking, by appearance, was Anya Alstreim, The Knight of Six. However, Charles knew that the person currently suppressing Anya's mind and speaking through it was Marianne vi Britannia, the one person in the world he loved and, in life, one of his 108 Imperial Consorts.

They were currently standing on the main platform of The Sword of Akasha, the weapon Charles planned to destroy the Collective Consciousness of mankind, otherwise known as God.

Anya's face was currently screwed up in a confused fashion, making Anya look rather odd.

"I tried to communicate with her, but all I got was a feeling of….sadness. Sadness mixed with determination. I don't understand why she would sever the connection like this!" Marianne was pacing Anya's body like a caged tiger now, her host's brows furrowed in thought.

"I…might know." Charles reluctantly admitted to his dead wife. Marianne span around and fixed him with a glare that looked almost comical on Anya's face, but from past experience, Charles knew better than to underestimate his spouse when she had that look on her (or Anya's) face.

"About a year and a half ago, Clovis captured C.C. in Area 11. The young fool was trying to artificially duplicate her Code and thus, her immortality." Charles shook his head at the foolishness of his son before continuing, "I only found out about it six months ago."

"What did you do to her, Charles?" Marianne's voice was frosty, so she had guessed what he had done, Charles surmised with a sigh.

'_As expected of my true wife. She can read me like a book._' Charles thought fondly as he prepared himself for Marianne's inevitable reaction.

"I sent him a Geass Suppression Field Generator blueprint." He told his wife, "I also gave him an unofficial blessing for his project."

"Charles! How _could_ you?!" Marianne was beside herself with anger, "C.C. is an ally! Or at least she _was_ before you did that! She agreed to give us her Code! All we needed was two more Thought Elevators and we could have killed God! Just what were you thinking?!"

"Brother told me that it was better to keep her in one, easily accessible place rather than have to track her down when we need her." Charles said with a barely noticeable shrug.

Marianne scoffed at that, making one of Charles' eyebrows raise in silent query.

"Oh, don't give me that spiel, Charles." Marianne told him, disgust evident in her voice, "V.V. killed me because he was jealous of our relationship and I watched through Anya as The Ashford family and all my allies in and out of court were systematically banished, killed or disgraced. C.C. left before that could happen to her, but it looks like he finally caught up to her."

Charles' face darkened as he remembered being told Marianne had been murdered. He had been so shocked and filled with grief that he had been unduly harsh when dealing with Lelouch when he made his court appearance to demand answers.

The Emperor of Britannia clenched his fist as he saw in his mind the hate-filled, accusing gaze of his eleventh son as he cast off his succession rights to the throne and all but accused the Emperor of being complicit in her assassination.

That had pushed Charles over his limits and he had risen from his throne and beaten Lelouch into unconsciousness with his own hands. He had, of course altered the memories of all present, barring Lelouch, using his Geass.

The next day, C.C. had brought Anya to him and Marianne had possessed Anya for the first time and proven who she was. Then she had told him what had actually happened. All this after he had altered the memories of Nunnally, Lelouch and a handful of other nobles to conform to V.V.'s story.

Needless to say, Charles had been furious.

He had calmed down and mentioned Marianne's death to his brother on his next meeting with him, to which V.V. had merely replied that it was unfortunate that she had died.

He had lied.

His brother. Had _lied_. To _him_.

V.V. had broken the contract between them to never lie to each other. Charles had been unable to believe it at the time and still had trouble believing it sometimes.

Shortly afterwards, C.C. had left the Court and disappeared just before, as Marianne had pointed out, all of Marianne's old allies began suffering mishaps and disgrace.

Charles shook his head and brought himself out of his memories. Regarding the Marianne-possessed Anya, he sighed again as he massaged his eyes with a gloved hand.

"Yes, I screwed up, Marianne, but there is another factor that you are unaware of."

"Oh?" Marianne cocked her head in exasperated curiosity, "What _else_ have you done, Charles?"

"I did nothing." Charles defended himself from his Consort's accusations, "C.C. has made a new contract with someone."

Marianne's eyes rolled at this.

"I know _that_ Charles. I was connected with her at the time, although all I know is that the Contractor is male."

"The identity of the Contractor is Lelouch." Charles spoke softly, his voice barely audible to Marianne, but she heard him nevertheless.

"W-What?!" Marianne's borrowed body had frozen in shock at this revelation, her eyes going distant as she remembered her oldest child, his intense love for his sister and herself, his brilliant intellect and Charles' report on how quickly he had grown to hate his distant father after her death and Nunnally's mutilation.

"How do you know?" Marianne asked him.

"He had C.C. kill Clovis." Charles' voice held no sympathy for his dead son. Marianne's eyes widened.

"C.C. killed Clovis? How did she even get close enough to draw a bead on him?" Marianne queried. As the Third Prince and Viceroy of Area 11, Clovis should have been under almost constant Vigil by his Royal Guard, "And how did Lelouch find out about and retrieve C.C.?"

"C.C. was stolen by Eleven Terrorists, who apparently thought they were stealing Poison Gas. I don't know how Lelouch got involved, but he freed her and then took command of the Terrorists in Shinjuku and dealt an almost overwhelming defeat to Clovis' forces there." Charles told her, almost by rote.

"Oh my." Marianne breathed. This was not good. C.C. getting loose and teaming up with an exiled prince who had no love for either his former country or his father was one thing, but actually handing Britannia a decisive defeat -the first defeat since Itsukushima- was quite another.

"Just about the only positive happening at all yesterday was when Lelouch almost destroyed Schneizel's little toy, the Lancelot." Charles snorted at the fanciful naming his second eldest son's research group had given a Knightmare.

"How did he do it?" Marianne was curious how her son had accomplished such a feat.

"He tried to drop half of the old Tokyo City Hall on top of it, apparently." Charles replied, his voice showing amusement at the manner the Lancelot had been defeated.

Marianne stared at Charles for a second then burst out laughing.

"Hahahabhahaha! As expected of my son!" Marianne cheered out, Anya's body dancing like a lunatic.

"I received the preliminary report a few hours ago from a Margrave Jeremiah Gottwald. He was once a member of the Palace Guard, stationed in the Aries Villa." Charles carried on, ignoring his wife and her antics.

"Oh, Jeremy?" Marianne smiled at Charles, "He was an excellent guard. He stopped that brat Carina from picking on Nunnally more than once by pretending to have to take her to a lesson. He's a good soldier."

"He is also brutally honest in his facts. Not including the Lancelot, we lost over 40 Knightmares, two-dozen tanks and half a dozen VTOLs." Charles told her grimly.

"Oh my."

"To top it off, Clovis couldn't remember anything for a period of ten minutes before he was killed by C.C., meaning Lelouch used his Geass on him." Charles ground out.

"Did you try using your Geass on Clovis' spirit?" Marianne asked.

"Of course I did, for all the good it did me." Charles replied, "Evidently I cannot recover memories that have been destroyed by someone else's Geass, even unintentionally. Either that, or my Geass cannot affect someone who is already dead."

Marianne cursed for a moment. This meant that they had no idea what Lelouch's Geass was or any of it's limitations.

"What do you intend to do?" Marianne asked her husband.

"I've sent orders to Margrave Jeremiah to become the Temporary Viceroy of Area 11 until Clovis' replacement arrives." Charles told her.

"Oh? Who are you thinking of? Guinevere? Odysseus?" Marianne asked with a sly smirk. She knew Charles would rather dance naked on live television than let either of those two imbeciles out from under his sight.

"No." Charles said flatly. Evidently he knew she was teasing him, "I was thinking Cornelia, with Euphemia as Sub-Viceroy."

"Lelouch's two favourite sisters, besides Nunnally. Oh, you _are_ evil Charles!" Marianne giggled.

Charles smiled down at his wife's temporary body.

"I do try, dear." He said dryly, "Lelouch accused Clovis of being complicit in your murder, so C.C. evidently hasn't told him the truth of the matter yet. Following on logically from that, he will jump at the chance to interrogate the former head of your bodyguard. Hopefully Lelouch is just as cocky as he was seven years ago and will underestimate Cornelia, leading to either his capture or death."

Noticing a slightly uncomfortable look on Marianne's borrowed face, he placed a hand on her shoulder, making her look up at him.

"Failing that, I doubt he will miss the chance to become reacquainted with Euphemia either. As soft and pacifistic as she is, she will serve a dual role: First as the 'Velvet Glove' to Cornelia's 'Iron Fist' and secondly as bait for Lelouch." Charles spoke softly to his wife in order to ease her distress.

Despite the plan to use the Sword of Akasha, she still didn't want to have to feel her children dying and passing on to C's World. Charles would accommodate her as much as possible, as he hated seeing her sad above all else.

"That sounds good." Marianne said, recovering herself slightly. She smiled sadly at Charles, "Sorry for worrying you, dear."

Charles shook his head with a small smile. He didn't mind bowing to her wishes like this every so often. In the long run, Lelouch was a minor fly in the ointment who was the means to re-acquire C.C., nothing more.

"Now, we had better part here. Brother is due to come for an update soon and Anya is on standby tomorrow, so you had better let her body get some sleep."

"Very well Charles. You need some sleep as well, so don't spend all night talking with V.V., ok?"

"Yes, dear."

The couple parted, one to stare at the clouds surrounding the platform, the other to leave the World of C.

**LLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL**

**Author's Note:** It occurred to me that a lot of people were wondering what Charles and Marianne's reactions to C.C. and Lelouch sleeping together would be.

In the spirit of things, all chapter x.5's are going to focus on Charles and Marianne from here on out. Look forward to it!

Catch you in two days for Chapter 6!


	8. Chapter 6:Kallen and the Student Council

**Author's Note: **Sorry my update is slightly late. I got caught up playing Batman: Arkham Origins.

Anyhow, a random guest reviewer asked if Lelouch will be snapping arms and breaking necks. The answer is no.

Aikido is classed as a defensive marital art. Its philosophical aim is to defend oneself whilst simultaneously keeping the opponent reasonably healthy, thanks in no small part to the creator's religious views and Aikido's origins in Jujutsu.

So, while it might be fun, no broken limbs or vertebrae in this story I'm afraid.

DP11 pointed out how Marianne is not mother of the year in Canon. I agree she was a less than stellar behind the scenes in canon, but in my story (as you will find out in chapter 17-18, I think?) she actually had something resembling a conscience, so her 'public face' is a bit more believable in my story.

**Anyhow, ONWARDS TO THE FIC!**

**Disclaimer: No, I do not own Code Geass. On with the Fic!**

"Kallen"-Speech

'_Lelouch_'-Thought/mental communication

"{Die}"-Geass Command

"**Halt!****"**-Loudspeaker

"_Roger._"-Radio/Walkie-Talkie

**Chapter 6: Kallen and the Student Council.**

**With Lelouch, Student Council Clubhouse, 08:00am.**

Lelouch stood in the centre of the Clubhouse with his eyes closed. He was dressed in a pair of tracksuit bottoms and a baggy white t-shirt and had his arms at his side, relaxed but prepared.

In a blur of motion, Lelouch travelled through a _kata_, or martial arts form, ending in a _shōmen'uchi _(Front-of-the-head Strike) against his imaginary foe. For the next ten minutes, he ran through multiple kata, ending with attacks ranging from the basic _mune-tsuki_ (Chest-Thrust) to a fairly advanced _tachitori _(Sword-taking) manoeuvre.

As he ran through them, Lelouch allowed his mind to wander free and consider all that happened yesterday.

He had commanded a ragtag group of Japanese Terrorists to victory against his elder brother and then had his accomplice, a 700 year old _immortal_ woman no less, execute his brother, but not until after extracting all useful information from him with a mysterious power said immortal had given him.

He had then come back and told Sayoko everything, his accomplice had bestowed yet _another_ mysterious ability upon his ninja-slash-maid and, to top the day off, he had _slept_ with his new accomplice.

'_What next? Mutants? Aliens? A Supervillian, perhaps?_' Lelouch thought sarcastically as he ended his practice and walked off to have breakfast with Nunnally.

**LLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL**

**Timeskip-2 hour's later-Student Council Office**

"Wake **up**, Lelouch!"

The cry was accompanied by a thwack across his head with a rolled up sheaf of papers.

"Your hand stopped moving, so I know you were asleep!" Came a swift admonishment after he raised his head.

Lelouch gave an exaggerated wince and mock-glared at the culprit. Millicent Ashford, or just plain 'Milly' as she preferred to be known, was widely known as one of the top ten beauties on campus. Her shoulder length blond hair framed an elegantly sculpted face, her legs were slender and toned and her three sizes were a much sought after secret by the male population of Ashford.

What most people didn't know was that beneath her elegance and beauty was a troublemaker of massive proportions. Milly was full of mischief, ranging from mild molestation of physically well endowed girls, to announcing a campus-wide festival for the most inane reasons, for example announcing that the dress code one day was swimsuits, in celebration of Shirley joining the Swimming Club.

The Student Council were currently rebalancing the budget for the umpteenth time after the fiasco of the Absolute Silence Party the previous month had taken a fair chunk of the budget from _this_ month.

Rivalz let out a chuckle.

"Serves you right for ditching me yesterday." the blue haired schoolboy said with a smirk.

Lelouch let out a yawn that was only slightly feigned.

"Well, I'm _sorry_ that my getting kidnapped by terrorists _inconvenienced_ you, Rivalz." Lelouch drawled out sarcastically.

All at once, all work in the office ceased and four pairs of eyes locked onto Lelouch.

Nina Einstein, a shy, plain girl with her hair in braids looked horrified at the idea of being kidnapped by Elevens.

Shirley Fenette, the girl with a not-so-secret crush on him, looked two parts horrified, one part worried. Her burnished gold eyes were alive with fear for Lelouch.

Milly and Rivalz were taken aback by Lelouch's sudden comment and Milly looked somewhat concerned as well.

"You were…kidnapped?" Milly asked softly.

"Well, more like 'accidentally taken along'." Lelouch amended, "I take it Rivalz has given you chapter and verse on how I fell into the truck and got carried off by it yesterday?"

A series of bobbing heads showed the answer was yes.

"Well, that truck was owned by Japanese terrorists. I think I heard VTOL's chasing the truck at one point." Lelouch said, his mind racing for a cover story that would hold up even if Kallen heard it, "I hid behind a bulky device of some sort for about three-quarters of an hour, when the truck crashed in the Shinjuku Ghetto."

The rest of the Student Council drew in a breath as he named the biggest Ghetto in Tokyo. No Britannian willingly set foot in those places unless they were either a soldier or insane.

"After the crash, I was stunned for a while and can't really remember much. Eventually, I staggered out of the truck and made to leave the Ghetto." Lelouch's voice turned grim at this, "Then I saw something I hoped to never see again."

"What did you see?" Shirley asked, rather subdued.

"A slaughter." Lelouch said grimly, his voice conveying distaste and disgust at every inflection, "Britannian troops were massacring the inhabitants of Shinjuku like dogs. Men, woman, children, the elderly….all were gunned down without mercy."

"T-That's impossible!" Nina protested shrilly, "They must have had weapons, or have co-operated with the terrorists or-or s_omething_!"

Lelouch felt like slapping the girl for that. Her Xenophobia was quite well known, not only for non-Britannians but for anyone she didn't already know. It made times like this awkward and uncomfortable.

"Nina, would a six year old girl constitute a threat? To _anyone_? Or an old woman in a wheelchair? No, I thought not." Lelouch asked Nina, who was unable to speak back without sounding ridiculous.

Lelouch shook his head and continued.

"Anyway, after dodging Britannian patrols, I finally managed to escape the Ghetto, only to be picked up by a patrol. They asked me a couple of questions, then asked me to come in for questions today sometime, so I'll need to take the afternoon off, Milly." Lelouch finished his story and looked at Milly.

The Ashford Heiress shook herself and nodded at him.

"I'll tell grandfather -the Dean, I mean- during lunch." she promised.

"Thank you, Milly." Lelouch said, gently smiling at her. He had known Milly since he had been a young boy and had been a victim of her pranks and antics both in Pendragon and in Ashford, so he took great satisfaction in seeing his childhood friend light up like a tomato.

"S-Sure, no problem." Milly managed to get out, her face still a glowing red. Lelouch noted that Nina was throwing him a rather jealous look his way. _So that's the way it is then?_

Lelouch stood up and nonchalantly handed Milly a completed revised budget for the next month. He had been writing as he spoke and had completed balancing the budget so every club could complete their scheduled activities without a hitch -barely.

"I have to let Sayoko know about this afternoon so she can plan accordingly. Later." Lelouch said as he walked out, leaving the Student Council staring at where he had been.

"Umm….Prez?" Shirley spoke up, still rather subdued, "What did Lulu mean when he said he had seen a massacre before?"

Milly sighed and flicked some of her long hair away from her face.

"Lelouch and Nuna were here in Area Eleven during the invasion, when this place was still Japan." She told the orangette, making Shirley, Rivalz and Nina gape at her.

"S-So when t-the Vice-P-President said he had seen a m-massacre…." Nina trailed off, horror filling her voice.

Milly nodded grimly, an unusually serious expression on her face. "Yes. Lelouch witnessed a massacre of Japanese civilians by Britannian forces before. Not only that, he had to carry Nuna over the bodies. He told me that it was the hardest thing he has ever had to do."

"Oh, Lulu…." Shirley whispered, her face pale and eyes bright with unshed tears for what her crush had been forced to watch.

It took the bell to get the stunned Council members moving after that.

**LLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL**

**With Kallen, Ten minutes later….**

'_I hate this, I hate this, I hate this, I hate this, I hate this…!_' was what Kallen Kōzuki, otherwise known to the damn Britannians around her as Kallen Stadtfelt, was chanting in her head like a mantra as she sat in her classroom, in her 'sick girl' persona.

Intellectually, she knew that acting meek, sickly and docile -the exact opposite of her actual persona- was a smart move to make, as all of her so-called friends could testify that she had never harmed so much as a fly, let alone a Britannian soldier, if they were ever even asked at all.

It still didn't stop her from _hating_ every minute of it.

'_Ohgi, I will restate how similar to Naoto-nii-sama you are and how damn irritating that little fact can be._' Kallen though sourly.

Ohgi had told her to 'lie low' at Ashford for a while, at least until the whole Shinjuku matter was off the news, which irritated Kallen immensely.

She had _tried_ to argue that the mysterious K-1 had discovered her identity, so it wasn't safe. Ohgi had countered that K-1 had implied that Ashford would be where he would contact her, so she could lie low and await contact from their mysterious saviour.

Her classmates were watching the news on a portable TV, and the contents of the news made Kallen's hatred for Britannians flare up.

The bastard Britannians were claiming that her resistance group had set off the poison gas in Shinjuku, even going so far as to broadcast a picture of dead bodies supposedly killed by the gas.

'_Bodies that clearly have _bullet-holes _in them! Are these Brits _completely_ stupid?!_' Kallen seethed to herself as her classmates gawked at the TV screen.

DING-DONG!

A chime came over the speakers of the public address system, making Kallen look up in curiosity.

"**This is an announcement from the Student Council. Could Miss Kallen Stadtfelt come to the Student Council Clubhouse, I repeat: Could Miss Kallen Stadtfelt please make her way to the Student Council Clubhouse immediately. And no, Milly, you are not to come running to see what is happening, or next time I won't help you with the budget."** The address clicked off after the brief announcement.

Kallen was confused. Why would the Student Council need to speak with her? All of her frequent absences were dismissed with the fake doctor's note she had arranged with Ohgi. And who was Milly?

"Kallen, you'd better go." Suzie, one of her 'friends' told her, "That was Vice-President Lelouch on the speakers. He almost _never_ uses the address system, so it must be serious."

Kallen nodded. "Umm…who is Milly?" she asked in a timid, quiet voice that made her want to throw up.

"Milly Ashford, the Student Council President!" Suzie was surprised at Kallen's lack of knowledge of the school, before remembering that her friend hadn't been in school long enough to get to know who was who, so she decided to fill her friend in.

"Milly Ashford is the Ashford Heiress, so she has a lot of leeway in how she runs the school, but her skill at organisation is….somewhat lacking, so Lelouch Lamperouge, the Vice-President is, for all intents and purposes, the one who runs the Council on a day-to-day basis, so his threat right now to not help balance the budget a very real one."

Kallen sweatdropped at the in-depth briefing her 'friend' gave her, adding another sweatdrop as she processed how oddly the Student Council seemed to operate.

Sighing, she thanked Suzie for her help and made her way to the student Council's Clubhouse.

When she got there she paused for a moment to gape at the 'Clubhouse'.

'_Clubhouse my ass, it's a damn mini-palace!_' was her first thought at the first sight of the building. It was built like a villa, not a clubhouse!

'_Damn extravagant Britannians!_' the redhead grumbled mentally as she forced herself to walk at a slow and measured pace towards the main entrance.

As she reached the door, it opened on the inside, revealing a Japanese woman in a maid's outfit.

"Miss Kallen Stadtfelt?" the woman enquired in a soft voice.

"Y-Yes." Kallen replied.

"This way please. Lelouch-sama is waiting." With that, the maid turned and led the way in.

Kallen followed on automatic, but was internally stunned. When the woman in front of her had called this Lelouch character '-sama', she had not detected any resentment or sarcasm in her voice.

'_Just who is this Lelouch character anyway?_' Kallen thought with narrowed eyes.

She gawked again at the opulent ballroom she was being led through, though she supposed she shouldn't be surprised. An opulent exterior would indicate an opulent interior after all.

The maid led her up the flight of stairs to the second level, where Kallen saw a black-haired boy around her age sitting at a desk on the far side of the room, filling out and signing reports it seemed.

"My Lord, Kallen Stadtfelt is here for your meeting." The maid called to the busy figure.

The boy looked up and regarded first the maid, then Kallen with unusual violet-coloured eyes.

Kallen shivered slightly. Those eyes seemed to look right _through_ her.

"Ah, so she is. Thank you, Sayoko." The boy spoke in a well educated, almost aristocratic way, enunciating each word with care, but not too slowly.

Kallen found herself starting to blush at being under his unblinking gaze for such an extended period of time. She hurriedly sat down at the seat opposite Lelouch.

Abruptly, he looked towards the maid -Sayoko- and addressed her.

"Sayoko, can you bring up some _sencha_ (Green Tea) and a few _Wagashi _(Traditional Japanese Confectionaries) for Miss Stadtfelt and me?"

"Certainly, My Lord. Would _Anmitsu_ (Jelly cubes with fruit) and _Mochi_ (Japanese Rice Cake) suffice?"

"They will do fine." Lelouch replied, and then turned to Kallen, "Miss Stadtfelt? Will either of those cause you any problems?"

"N-No. I'll be fine." she replied somewhat nervously. Why was he offering her sencha and wagashi? He was Britannian, wasn't he?

Lelouch nodded to Sayoko, who promptly vanished so quickly Kallen had to blink. One second she was there, the next she was gone.

"Sayoko is fond of that little disappear/reappear trick, she refuses to tell me how she does it." Lelouch told her, a fond smile on his face.

"A woman must have some secrets, My Lord." Sayoko's voice came from behind Kallen and gave the redhead quite a shock.

As Sayoko served them both tea and wagashi, Lelouch spoke.

"I lived in Area Eleven while it was still Japan and became quite fond of _sencha _and _wagashi_ during my stay. I'm afraid it's an eating habit I haven't managed to break." The last part was said with a mild chuckle before being silenced by him sipping his tea.

Kallen, in turn, sipped _her_ tea, humming slightly in pleasure at the taste that proclaimed it to be high quality sencha. As she did, she carefully examined the person sitting opposite her.

His hair was ebon black and his eyes were a startling shade of violet. His face could be called either androgynous or feminine. His build was sturdy and his posture was impeccable.

"Now Miss Stadtfelt, let's get down to business, shall we?" Lelouch asked after having another sip of his tea.

Kallen nodded and put her tea down as well.

"What is it you wished to discuss with me?" she asked timorously.

Lelouch stared into her eyes before he spoke.

"{You will answer my questions.}"

**LLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL**

**Lelouch's Perspective**

As he activated his Geass, Lelouch reflected on how bad a mask this girl was wearing. It was like trying to disguise a Doberman as a Poodle, really.

How she hadn't been outed before now was amazing. Still, it was time to make certain he had made a wise decision in choosing to join up with her group.

Kallen had fallen into the Geass trance and had straightened up. She affirmed his order in the strong, independent voice he remembered from Shinjuku.

"Of course."

"Are you the pilot of the red Glasgow from Shinjuku?"

"Yes."

"Why terrorism?"

"Because I'm Japanese, although technically I'm half-Britannian."

Lelouch's eyebrow rose slightly. Half-blood Britannians were not exactly uncommon, but they were very rarely acknowledged or made Heirs to families, especially ones in prominent positions such as the Stadtfelt Family.

"You must have a Japanese name then. What is it?"

"Kōzuki."

"I see…..Moving on then…"

Over the next ten minutes he quizzed her about her brother, the members of the resistance cell and her skills with a Knightmare.

When he finished his questions, Lelouch deactivated his Geass.

**LLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL**

In a room not too far away, Sayoko removed a disk from the security system. It held the footage of Lelouch Geassing Kallen in the ballroom, taken by one the hidden cameras seeded throughout the building.

Sayoko hesitated. She had been ordered to destroy the disk by Lelouch, but something made her hesitate.

'_Lelouch-sama is correct that this footage can't be seen by anyone. However…I think I must keep a hold of this rather than destroy it. Better safe than sorry._' Sayoko reasoned, putting the disk into a case and slipping it into a pocket in her apron.

**LLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL**

**Kallen's Perspective**

"Miss Stadtfelt?"

Kallen snapped out of a daze and looked at Lelouch.

"H-Huh?" was her intelligent reply.

"You've been staring into space for a while. Your tea has gone cold." Lelouch pointed to her cup, which had been piping hot and was now cold.

Kallen blushed in embarrassment at wasting such high quality tea and stammered out an apology.

Lelouch waved a hand dismissively. "It's alright. Listening to changes in school regulations while you were off sick would send anyone to sleep, myself included, so it's no problem. I'll just give you a printout."

"T-Thank you…" Kallen got out as she wracked her brains, trying to remember any of the rules he had been talking about and came up blank.

'_I can't believe I zoned out that badly!_' She scolded herself mentally as she accepted the printout from Lelouch.

"Now, that was one of three reasons I called you here." Lelouch continued after she put the printout away, "The second reason is this."

From a drawer, Lelouch pulled a package and handed it to her. It was about 7 inches long and maybe 4 inches wide and wrapped in brown paper. In the centre, Kallen's name was prominently visible.

"This was delivered to the Student Council earlier this morning." Lelouch explained, "I have run a chemical sniffer over it, and there is no trace of any drugs or explosive compounds inside it, so I am free to pass it on to you."

"Why do you have a chemical sniffer in a school?" Kallen asked, sweatdropping at the idea of an Academy having such a thing.

"The students of Ashford are the scions of rich and powerful families, so any and all packages are checked for any potential threats to them." Lelouch explained to Kallen, who slowly nodded.

Kallen shook her head to bring herself back to reality and pocketed the package.

Lelouch's face became serious.

"I will have to ask that whoever sent you that package not do so again, as one of the new rules is that no personal mail is to be sent to school."

"Of course." Kallen agreed, "I'll….inform the person who sent me this of the new rule directly."

"Excellent." Lelouch said with a small smile, "Now, the last thing I need to discuss with you is regarding a long standing school rule."

"Oh?" Kallen tilted her head to the side slightly, having a sneaking suspicion about which rule he could be talking about.

"The rule in question requires all students to join a club during their time here and, according to the records, you haven't joined one at all." Lelouch told her as he flicked through some sheaves of paper, casually sorting them into different piles as he spoke.

"I…that is, I can't join a club because-" Kallen started to trot out her 'sick girl' excuse, but was interrupted by Lelouch.

"-Because your body is weak and sickly, yes?" Lelouch said with a small smirk as he saw her start is surprise, "Yes, I am aware of your infirmity and happily, I have been able to come up with a compromise of sorts."

"Compromise?" Kallen regarded Lelouch with mild suspicion and wariness.

"Indeed. My compromise is you joining the Student Council." Lelouch said in a perfectly deadpan voice.

"HUH?!" Kallen gaped at him in astonishment. Lelouch shrugged.

"I will be frank with you, Miss Stadtfelt, I am in desperate need of help on the Student Council." Lelouch told her frankly, "Milly uses the budget up on nonsensical ideas, the Secretary spends most of his time trying to get a date with Milly and out of the two regular members, one is so timid and xenophobic that talking to her is…problematic…at best and the other member is actually fairly good with paperwork, but is a favourite target of Milly's teasing, so is stymied in doing her work thanks to that."

"So you're basically the only one actually accomplishing anything worthwhile in the Council then." Kallen summed it up for him.

"Harsh, but accurate." Lelouch nodded at her, "You, Miss Stadtfelt, despite having spent the majority of last year off sick, your GPA is a perfect 4.0. In addition, Milly will be forced to hold off on teasing you too much because of your fragile health. And your obligation to join a club will be fulfilled."

Kallen considered the idea. It _would_ satisfy that irritating little rule that she had been dodging for the last year or so. On the other hand, she didn't know nearly enough about how the Student Council operated, so she decided to ask a few questions first.

"What kind of activities do the Student Council do?" She asked.

"Well, in the main, we organise school-wide events, set the budgets for the various clubs and act as a deterrent to Milly's wild ideas- or at least we try to anyway." Lelouch told her, a wry look appearing on his face when he spoke of trying to stop Milly's mad ideas.

Kallen sweatdropped at this confirmation of Suzie's small briefing of the Student Council President, then shook her head and continued on.

"When you say school-wide events, do you mean like the Culture Festival?" she asked for confirmation.

"And the Crossdresser's Ball, and The Absolute Silence Party AND Swimsuit Day." Lelouch recited with a deadpan look on his face.

Kallen sweatdropped again. "What the heck?"

"I did say Milly has some wild ideas, didn't I?" Lelouch replied with a shrug.

"I see….are there any perks to being in the Student Council?" she asked, although she doubted there would be. It _was_ just a Student Council after all.

"Actually, there are a few advantages." Lelouch told her, "Thanks to Milly, we have a level of access that even the faculty doesn't have. There is almost nowhere on campus that we cannot go."

"Wow." Kallen was actually impressed by that.

'_That kind of access would be useful in sneaking out, if I had to._' She thought to herself.

"I know, right? My personal favourite though, has to be the tunnels." Lelouch confided to her. Noticing her confused look, Lelouch expanded on the subject.

"When the Academy was taken over by the Ashford Family, the Britannian Tokyo Settlement was still being built, so the Academy was used as a kind of nexus station for workers using the underground tunnels. After the Settlement was completed, the tunnels were forgotten about. Using them, you can reach any area of the Tokyo Settlement, except the Area 11 Administration Building and the military bases." Lelouch explained.

Kallen was stunned. If she had access to the tunnels, she could get to almost anywhere in the Settlement _easily_. A bit of paperwork was nothing compared to being able to do that.

Mind made up, Kallen looked at Lelouch and nodded. "I'll join the Council. By the sounds of it, you need all the help you can get."

Lelouch gave her a grateful grin. "Excellent! Your inauguration party is scheduled for tomorrow after school. There I'll introduce you to the rest of the team. Sound OK?"

"Umm…sure." Kallen was taken aback by the swiftness of her inauguration. Then, a nasty thought occurred to her.

"Would this happen to be the President's whim, by any chance?" Kallen asked suspiciously.

Lelouch shrugged unabashedly at her. "She saw you in the corridors today and decided you were going to be a part of the Student Council. I decided to actually entice you into joining, rather than suffer the full weight of being persuaded by Milly."

"Fair enough." Kallen allowed, begrudgingly.

"Well now, I have a meeting to attend in town, so we must part ways for now, Miss Stadtfelt." Lelouch said, sounding somewhat regretful.

He stood up and walked around the desk. Kallen stood up as well and was about to walk off, when a thought occurred to her.

"Umm….Vice-President?" she called after him.

Lelouch stopped and turned around.

"Just Lelouch, please." he said with a smile.

"OK, you call me Kallen then." she replied. She _hated_ being reminded of her Britannian lineage.

"Fair enough. Now, did you want something?" Lelouch asked.

"About this package that got delivered…who delivered it?" Kallen asked, withdrawing the package in question from her blazer pocket.

Lelouch frowned in thought. "I honestly couldn't say. Just a delivery man I think. Why?"

"Just…curious." Kallen mumbled, disappointed that there was no lead on K-1.

"Well then, I bid you good day. Sayoko will show you the way out." Lelouch nodded cordially at her, then walked off.

Kallen followed Sayoko after she did what Lelouch had termed her 'disappear/reappear trick' and was bowed out the door.

As she walked, Kallen reflected on the last half hour. She had met the Student Council Vice-President and had been convinced to join the Council, before being informed the President would have coerced her to join the next day anyway.

She had also been delivered a mysterious package by an unknown individual. Kallen removed the package from her pocket and gave it a once over. There was no sender address, courier ID number or stamp on it, so she presumed whoever had sent it had had it delivered by hand.

Curiosity overcoming her, she tore off the wrapping to reveal a second layer. More writing was on the same side her name had been written on.

"_Q-1-_

_Don't open any more of this package._

_Unwrap the rest and be alone by 9 O'clock tonight._

_-K-1"_

Kallen flushed at being read so easily by K-1 _yet_ _again_. She knew she wasn't _that_ easy to read, so how did someone who had never met her manage to do so with apparent ease?

Kallen re-pocketed the package and walked back to class. Hopefully, K-1 would have some answers for her tonight.

**LLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL**

**With Lelouch**

From a window on the second floor of the Clubhouse, Lelouch watched Kallen walk off with a small grin on his face. She had acted exactly as he had anticipated.

"Sayoko, did you take care of the security footage?" He asked, not needing to turn around to know his maid has silently entered the room.

"Hai, Lelouch-sama." Sayoko replied. She walked over to stand next to him and watched the shrinking vision of Kallen Stadtfelt/Kōzuki walking towards the main building of Ashford Academy.

"I wish you would allow me to accompany you on your excursion, My Lord." Sayoko remarked yet again. She had been trying to convince him to allow her to go with him ever since he had told her his plans for the day before breakfast.

Lelouch just turned his head to look at her and shook his head once. Sayoko sighed and lowered her head in acquiescence.

"While I'm out Sayoko, could you take the Sutherland I captured and take it to Theta Base?" Lelouch asked, once he was sure his maid had finally given up the idea of following him on his mission today.

Sayoko looked startled. Theta Base was Lelouch's hidden trump card he had spent the vast majority of his gambling money on building, enlarging and improving it. He had never allowed her to enter it. Her startled eyes met his calm violet orbs and he nodded slightly at her.

"You have sworn yourself to me, Sayoko. Therefore you are entitled to know my secrets, starting with Theta Base." Lelouch told her with a small smile.

Overwhelmed with pride at the trust her Goshujin-sama was putting in her, Sayoko bowed low, Japanese-style.

"As you command, Goshujin-sama." She replied, her voice not revealing the pride and joy she was feeling at his trust in her..

"While you are there, put the Sutherland in the AutoPainter, set it for Sutherlands, then run paint scheme BK-C-01." He told her as he shrugged on his rust-coloured windbreaker, "Once that is done, return via the first elevator."

"What about me, Lelouch?" C.C.'s voice called from his bedroom.

"You, C.C., are to order some new clothes. I take it you want Sayoko to dispose of the prisoner's suit while she's at Theta Base?" Lelouch called back with a small grin.

"Yes please. If I have to look at the damn thing again, I swear I will hurt someone." C.C.'s voice held a mild amount of loathing for the solitary reminder of her imprisonment.

"Very well. A credit card is in my top drawer and a clothing catalogue is on the sideboard in the living room. Get as much as you like, but just don't break my balance, ok?" Lelouch told the immortal.

"Do you mind if I order some takeaway while I'm at it since Sayoko is going to be out most of the day?"

Lelouch shrugged, then realised C.C. couldn't see him.

"Of course. But please, don't answer the door naked." Lelouch added that last part hastily.

"Awww. Don't tell me you're getting possessive already?" C.C.'s voice was lightly teasing, but held a hint of genuine curiosity.

Lelouch chuckled slightly.

"Last I checked we ARE lovers, so is it a bad thing to not want other men to see your body?" This prompted Sayoko to flush slightly.

There was a small pause from his bedroom before C.C. spoke again, her voice stilted slightly.

"You know, if it were not for the fact you have to go out soon, I'd drag you in here and jump you for saying such a thing. As it is, I'll leave that until tonight."

"Nice to know." Lelouch commented as he grabbed a bag that contained the soldier uniform he wore yesterday.

"Be careful, my Lord." Sayoko told her Master, "It will be difficult for you to accomplish all that you want to today."

Lelouch and Sayoko began walking towards the main doors to the Clubhouse.

"Thank you for your concern, Sayoko, but I think I will be fine." Lelouch told her firmly, "All tasks at hand have all the initial groundwork already laid out. All I need to do is successfully build on them."

"As you say, my Lord." Lelouch winced slightly. Whenever Sayoko said _that_, she was practically screaming disapproval of what he was about to do.

"Look, just….trust me on this, ok?" Lelouch said, stopping and looking Sayoko in the eyes. Sayoko blushed a bit as she could see the determination in Lelouch's eyes and she could even sense the confidence he had in his plan, whatever it was.

"Be sure to arrive in time for dinner tonight, my Lord. Lady Nunnally will be disappointed if you miss two successive dinners in a row. She enjoys spending time with you alone." Sayoko said, finally _truly_ giving up attempting to accompany Lelouch.

"I will, Sayoko. Take care now." With that, Lelouch exited the building and setting out for his destination: The base of operations of the Pureblood Faction.

**LLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL**

**Next Chapter: The Knight of Orange.**

**Author's Note: **And that's All I wrote. Now, some of you must be thinking 'Is Theta Base just another name for the old Ashford Knightmare Factory?'

I can tell you NO, it isn't. Want to know more, stick around and find out in chapter 8.

Now, regarding my poll, I have decided to make it more interesting by randomly deleting one of the choices after I update my story. Which one? Check and find out….

**Next update: 16****th**** of November.**


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